Saw You First
by LochNessie17
Summary: Growing up, Brittany believed her calling was to be an engineer. She had always loved tinkering with the mechanical gadgets she built, but after taking a trip in the time machine she had constructed in her parent's basement, everything changed. Now years later, she has forged a completely new path for herself, but will it still turn out to be the same future she once saw?
1. Finally

Finally finding a break from work, I slid into my desk chair and took out the old, worn out photo I kept stashed away for days such as these. Days when I just need to take a step back and remember the happy life that lies ahead of me. Looking down at the picture of me tightening one of the bolts on the large mechanical device with my trusty wrench, I allowed my mind to be consumed by memories of a future I once saw and wonderings of what's to come.

As soon as I saw her name on the appointment screen this morning, I realized that today was the day that it would all begin, and it took everything in me not to pass out right there on the spot. To say that I wasn't expecting to meet my future wife when I woke up this morning is a major understatement. If I had, I would have probably worn a more flattering outfit than the dark blue smock I was wearing and spent a little more time on my hair. I might have even applied a bit of light make-up, but now it's too late. I'm already at work, and from this point on, there is no turning back.

All morning, I had been feeling a weird mix of panic and excitement as I worked my way through my appointments, slowly making my way towards the one I was really waiting for. Now, it was an hour before her scheduled time, and I was kind of starting to freak out.

"Dr. Pierce, we're ready for you in room four," my technician informed as she poked her head into my office, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts.

Letting out a brief sigh, I slid the picture back into my desk drawer, realizing that meeting the woman of my dreams would come whether I was ready or not. "Alright, let's walk and talk," I announced as stood up and walked passed her towards our destination.

"Skippy Trahan. Four year old dachshund. Here for a routine canine annual. No concerns," Allie informed as I opened the door and walked in.

Setting my sights on the dog sitting on the table, I put on my best smile and greeted, "Hey, Skippy! Long time, no see."

* * *

After another quick in room exam for a ten year old German Shepherd with hip dysplasia, I heard the announcement I had been waiting for sound over the intercom system.

"Dr. Pierce, Dr. Pierce's tech, you have a new puppy exam in room two."

_'I guess it's showtime,_' I thought to myself as I opted out of having Allie go in first to take a brief history and lead the way towards the exam room. As soon as I stepped through the doorway, I was met by the most captivating woman I had ever laid eyes on. She was just as beautifully stunning as I remembered, and it took everything in me to act like the cognizant human being I was as I held out a hand to introduce myself, "Hello, I'm Dr. Pierce."

"Santana Lopez," she said as she slipped her hand into mine and gave it a firm shake. Feeling an electric current flow between us, I glanced up and made the grave mistake of looking her in eyes. The second I gazed into those dark brown pools, I was sucked in like light to a black hole. Realizing I had most likely been staring at her for longer than what's socially acceptable when first meeting someone, I quickly released her hand and peered over at the black lab sitting at her side, "And who might this handsome fellow be?"

"This is Delgado. At least, that's what I've been calling him," she explained. "He's been hanging around my neighborhood for a couple weeks now, so I decided to take him in for the time being while I try to find his owners. He had a collar but no tags, so I figured he must belong to someone. Anyways, I was talking to my cousin the other day, and she directed me here. She said you guys have something that can see if he's been microchipped or something?"

The statement ended up coming out as more of a question, and her standing there with slightly knitted eyebrows was nothing short of adorable. Giving her a firm nod, I answered, "Yep, we sure do. Let me go grab it real quick."

Before I could even make a move, Allie was out the door and walked back into the room a few seconds later carrying the microchip reader. "Thanks," I quietly whispered to the girl as I took hold of the device and began searching for a chip. After a few seconds of scanning around his sides and back with no results, I concluded, "Welp, it doesn't look like you're bionic, Buddy Boy."

"So, no chip?"

"I'm afraid not," I confirmed, giving the dog a quick pat on the head before looking back up at the woman. "Was that all you were here for today?"

"No, I'd still like to get him updated on all his shots and stuff while we're here, if that's okay. I want to make sure he's completely covered since there's no telling how long it'll be until I find his owners."

"Well, I'm sure it'll all work out for the best," I offered with a wink, causing a small smile to creep across her lips. I knew before I even touched the microchip reader that he wouldn't have one. Seeing him still belonging to us in the future was proof enough that the pup was here to stay, regardless of whether or not the present Santana was ready to be a pet owner or not. "Anyways, let's go ahead and get the exam out of the way so we can get him up-to-date on all his vaccs and have both of you on your way."

After helping Allie get Delgado on the table, I reached for the ophthalmoscope and flicked on the light so I could search for any ocular abnormalities before exchanging it for the otoscope. Just as I went to return the instrument to its holder, the brunette asked, "How old do you think he is?"

"Hm, let me get a look at his chompers," I replied with a grin, grasping his snout between my hands and lifting his lips with my fingers. After taking note of him having all of his adult teeth with almost no wear or tartar build up, I released my hold on the dog and shifted my focus back towards the woman, "I'd guesstimate that he's somewhere between seven and twelve months. Maybe about ten-ish, but I can't be entirely sure."

"That's okay. I just wanted a general idea. Thanks."

"Absolutely no problem at all," I replied, flashing the woman another quick smile as I slipped on my stethoscope and began listening to the dog's heart and lungs.

The rest of the appointment flew by quickly with me finishing up my examination and administering the vaccines, and before I knew it, I was saying my _goodbyes_ and _see you next times. _After leaving the room, I made my way back to my desk and slipped out the same wrinkled photograph as before to allow myself another short daydream before my next appointment arrived.

* * *

I had just stepped out of the clinic when I felt my phone vibrating in my hand. Looking down, I quickly read the name on the screen and answered the call. "Why hello, Dr. Quinn. To what do I owe this pleasure?" I asked as I stepped into the car, sliding the key into the ignition to start the vehicle.

"Can't a girl just call her friend every once in a while just to say hello?" the woman on the other end of the line reasoned.

"Yeah, but I already know that's not why you're calling. For the last time, the answer is _no._"

"Come on, Brittany. You haven't been on a date since high school."

Looking over my shoulder, I started backing up out of my parking space as I replied, "I thought you said that you were going to stop shrinking me."

"And I thought we both agreed that you were going to stop referring to me as a _shrink_."

"I didn't. I used the term as a present participle," I argued back as I shifted gears and pulled out of the parking lot.

"Whatever. The point is that I am _not _shrinking you. I'm simply being a good friend who is expressing her concerns and also just so happens to be a psychiatrist. There are no correlations between the two at this point in time."

"Well, _that's_ reassuring. Anyways, I'm just going to tell you the same thing I have told you every other time you've decided to voice your concerns: I have my reasons."

"Which you have failed to ever elaborate on."

"And which I will fail to do yet again," I joked while managing to carry an air of finality that Quinn was quick to pick up on.

"Fine, fine. You win, but please just go on this one date and I promise I will never butt into your love life ever again."

Pulling up to a red light, I quickly thought over the offer and asked, "You swear on your life?"

There was an airy giggle from the other side of the line before she answered, "Yes, Brittany. I swear."

Rubbing my hand over my face in frustration, I let out a defeated sigh and replied, "Fine, just tell me when and where, and I'll be there."

* * *

"Bug?" I called out as I stepped through the entryway of my house. Suddenly, I heard the patter of paws on the floor upstairs before watching my favorite golden retriever came barreling down the staircase towards me. "Aw, there's my Layla Bug!" I exclaimed as I knelt down in anticipation of the dog welcoming me home, just like she did every day.

After giving her some time to release all her pent up excitement, I stood back up and walked over to the couch with Layla in tow. Taking a seat, I patted the spot beside me as an invitation for her to come up before grabbing the remote to turn on the television. Just as I began flicking through the channels, the image of a certain brunette flashed across my mind and reminded me that I had a really big announcement to make.

"Oh yeah, Lay! I can't believe I almost forgot to tell you, but I met your future mom today. Well, I mean, she at least _seemed _to be the same person from what I saw, but I didn't really get to talk to her all that much since we were in a professional setting. I mean, of course _I _was since I was at work and all. Her, not so much, but still kind of. Does that make since? Anyways, I haven't exactly had time to work out the details of whether or not me knowing anything about the future _us_ will change anything, so it's all still kind of up in the air as to what will happen, if anything at all," I rambled, earning a blank stare from the dog. "Hey, don't look at me like that. Lord Tubbington would understand if he were here. Then again, I guess that would make sense since he was there when it all happened." Watching the dog tilt her head to the side in confusion, I added, "Speaking of which, have I ever told you about the time I time traveled?"

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hello there!_

_Thank you so much for taking the time to read the first chapter of my new fic. Ever since I posted the last chapter of Paperwoman, I've been dying to start another sort of happy-go-lucky, lighthearted kind of story. During then and now, I began toying with this concept, which I am really excited to explore. _

_Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed it and that I will get to see you all next time. Until then, by__e!_

_P.S.: To anyone reading No Questions Asked, I will be trying to get the next chapter finished as soon as possible. Sorry for the wait, but I promise I haven't forgotten about it. Haha._


	2. Unintentional

_My love of tinkering was passed down to me by my father. He has always been the person I look up to most in the world, and because of it, I found myself naturally gravitating towards engineering as I grew up._

_I can still remember sneaking into our basement to watch Dad fix broken electronics or fiddle with his own homemade gadgets, knowing it was only a matter of time before I got caught. Luckily, my snooping never seemed to bother him. Instead, he would just wave me over and help me crawl onto his lap so I could watch as he explained to me how the devices worked._

_It has never been a surprise to anyone that I am a total daddy's girl, but no one could ever guess just how much the relationship between my father and I would help shape my entire future._

_In that respect, some would maybe blame him for the struggles I eventually faced as a result of the engineering knowledge he had shared with me, but I have never believed that to be true. In fact, he didn't even know about the true nature of my little project until years after the damage was already done__... but that's a story for another time._

* * *

You know those mornings when you don't want to get out of bed but you know you have to?

Yeah, this was definitely one of them.

Every third Saturday of the month, I was scheduled to be the on-duty veterinarian at the clinic. Thankfully, it was never an all-day affair. We were only open from eight to noon, which was better than nothing, I suppose.

Now, don't get me wrong. I love my job, despite not exactly being thrilled to work on the weekend. The real reason my body was trying to anchor itself to the mattress was because it was the day of the blind date I had no interest in attending. In fact, my severe disinterest in the date was reason enough for me to keep hitting the snooze button until the last possible second.

As the alarm rang out one last time, I slammed my hand down on the off switch and flung off the covers. Rolling myself out of bed, I wiped the sleep out of my eyes and released a soundless yawn as I stretched my arms out high above my head, thinking about what I would give for a cup of coffee and how it was a shame I decided to give it up years ago.

Quietly padding over to my closet, I eased open the door to grab a set of work clothes before moving past a sleeping Layla on my way to the bathroom. After changing, I continued through my morning routine until I was finally ready to head out.

Just as I was about to walk out the front door, I remember that there was one last thing I had to do and retrieved my phone out of my purse to make a call. Hearing an airy _'hello' _come over the line a couple seconds later, I greeted the voice with a simple, "Morning, Mother Dearest. What are you up to?"

"Nothing much. Just fixing your dad and I a pot of coffee." The woman must have heard the quiet sigh I heaved at the mentioning of my ex-favorite beverage because she instantly asked, "Oh no, I said the _'c' _word, didn't I? Sorry, Honey."

"It's okay. I'll get over it. Anyways, the real reason I was calling was to make sure it was still alright to drop Layla off on my way to work. I'm going to be out for most of the day, and I have a lame blind date tonight that Quinn is forcing me to go on so-"

"DATE?!" my mother practically screamed into the receiver out of shock. I guess that got her attention.

"Yeah, but it's not really a bid deal. I'm just doing it to shut Quinn up. She'd been on my back about this for months."

The woman let out an exaggerated groan, "Brittany, I really wish you would let yourself live a little. There's no telling when or where you will meet Santana, and I just hate seeing you wait around for someone without really knowing when they will walk into your life."

"Actually, she already has," I corrected as an off-handed remark.

"WHAT?" she shrieked before blurting out, "Why the heck are you going on this date, then? It doesn't really make sense that you've done all this waiting just to agree to a date with someone else."

"Wow, aren't _you_ easily swayed. Just two seconds ago, you were encouraging me to go on this ridiculous thing."

"Which was before I knew you had met Santana. If I would have known that, I would have never pushed the issue."

"Gee, thanks, Mom," I shot back with an eye-roll. This woman, I swear. "Let's just focus on what I was originally trying to ask, okay?"

"Oh, yeah, of course. We'll be around."

"Awesome. Lay and I be over there in five," I informed as I made my way to the foot of the stairs.

"Alright, see you then," she said before hanging up the phone.

Letting out a loud whistle, I yelled, "Come on, Layla! Let's go to Grandma and Paw-Paw's!" Not even a second later, the Golden retriever came bolting past me and over to the front door. Chuckling quietly to myself, I walked over to where she was excitedly prancing in place as she tried her best to patiently wait to leave. "Alright, Crazy, let's go," I said, swinging the front door open for her to dash through.

At least one of us was excited for today.

* * *

Work turned out to be an absolute disaster.

The clients just kept coming in one after another after _another. _I ended up being double-booked with three emergencies, which are the type of events found in my worst nightmares. It also didn't help that almost all of the cases were super complicated. Regardless of the hellish conditions, however, we still managed to get out of there by one-thirty, so I guess that's one positive thing I could say about the situation.

I couldn't help but feel a little disappointed, however, once I realized that leaving work meant I had nothing left to distract me from my date.

Getting ready was simple. All it took was a quick shower, a bit of make-up, and a couple minutes to pick out something to wear, and I was ready to go.

By the time I left the house, I had worked up quite an appetite. Thankfully enough, we were meeting at my favorite restaurant in town. One thing I can definitely say about my date was that they definitely had excellent taste in food.

Pulling up in the Breadstix parking lot, I stepped out of my car and headed for the entrance. Once I was inside, I glanced around briefly and froze as I noticed a familiar face sitting at the bar. Before I even knew what was happening, my body involuntarily made a beeline over to where she was sitting and greeted, "Hello, Ms. Lopez."

The brunette jolted slightly as she snapped her eyes up to meet mine. It was fairly obvious that I had caught her completely by surprise.

"Oh, hey, Dr. Pierce. How are you this evening?" Santana asked once she managed to regain her composure.

"I'm pretty good. How about yourself?"

"Same. Are you here with someone?" she questioned, glancing around behind me as if she expected to see me with someone else.

"No, I'm actually supposed to be meeting someone here. To be honest, I'm kind of on a blind date, but the thing is that I don't even know who they are. The friend who set us up told me she wanted us to go into this thing entirely blind, but what she _didn't_ think about was the fact that knowing their name might actually come in handy when trying to locate the person. That's typical Quinn for you, though," I explained with a shrug.

The woman gave me a puzzled look for a moment before asking, "Quinn as in Quinn Fabray?"

"Um, yeah, you know her?"

Giving her head a slight nod, she confirmed, "Yep, and it looks like you just found your date."

_'Great, this is what I get for not caring about this date. Now, she's here, and I once again look like crap. Fan-freaking-tastic,' _I thought to myself as I entered full-on panic mode.

Then, something clicked in my head.

_'Wait a minute. NO. Absolutely not. I refuse to accept that Quinn, of all people, is the one who helped get us together. There has to be some kind of mistake or something. Please, oh, please let this just be some kind of misunderstanding,' _I pled to myself before cautiously asking, "Um, are you sure we're talking about the same Quinn Fabray?"

"I mean, I'm sure there aren't _that_ many Quinns living in Lima, let alone ones sharing a last name like Fabray, but the one I'm talking about is blonde and about yea big," the brunette teased with a smirk as she lifted her hand a little above her head to show the estimated height of the woman she had in mind.

"Hazel eyes?"

"Yep, sure enough."

"Oh, okay. I guess we _do_ have the same Quinn, then," I sighed as I unconsciously let my shoulders slump down in defeat. I knew full-well that Quinn was never going to let this go, especially after all the hell I had given her in trying to avoid this date.

_'This day just keeps getting better and better...'_

"Why do I get the impression that you didn't want our Quinns to be the same person? Are we breaking some kind of work protocol or something since I'm technically one of your clients?" Santana suddenly inquired, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts.

"No, it's not that at all," I quickly amended. "It's just that I had never expected that you would be the one I'd be going on this blind date with."

Santana's expression instantly shifted to one of offense, responding, "I'm not exactly sure whether or not I should feel insulted right now."

"No, not at all. I'm just surprised is all. I swear," I sputtered out in an attempt to fix our misunderstanding.

"Yeah, we'll see about that, Miss Vet," she replied but followed it up with a quick wink to show she was just kidding.

_'Great. I can already tell this girl is going to be the death of me.'_

"A-anyways, how about we go grab a table before I manage to dig myself even further into this hole I'm in."

"Sounds perfect. Lead the way," the woman said as she motioned for me to go first.

After we got back to the front area, I walked up to the hostess and requested a table for two. The girl quickly glanced through the current list of open tables and announced, "Alright, ladies. Right this way," and started leading us towards the back of the restaurant.

Once she had placed the menus and silverware down on the table that would be ours, I moved to pull one of the chairs out for Santana but didn't see one of the waiters passing between our table and the one beside us and accidentally ended up bumping into him, almost making him drop the entire tray of food he was carrying in the process.

"Oh my gosh, I am _so_ sorry. I honestly didn't see you there," I fervently apologized as I placed my hands on the sides of his shoulders to help steady him. "Are you okay?"

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it. Happens all the time," the man ensured with a polite grin before carefully returning to the previous task at hand. His words did nothing to alleviate the embarrassment I was feeling, though, as I spun back around to face the brunette. Our eyes only met for a brief moment before my gaze found purchase on the ground, but I pulled her chair back ever so slightly once more to show that I had intended it to be for her.

Once she was seated, I darted over to my seat across the table with my eyes still glued to the floor and sat down. Taking the menu into my hands, I opened it to give off the impression that I was looking through the food selection when I was really just trying to hide the deep blush I knew was painted across my face. After a few minutes of awkwardly staring at the menu, I decided to finally break the silence and said, "I'm really sorry about that, Santana. I swear I'm not usually that clumsy."

"It's alright. I've already forgotten about it," she replied, but I knew she was just trying to be nice. Regardless, she continued, "So since we're on a date and all, is it okay if I ask for your first name, or would you rather me just call you Dr. Pierce the whole time?"

"Oh yeah! Sorry, of course! My name is Brittany, like the spaniel."

Her eyebrows instantly scrunched up in confusion, "Like the what?"

"You know, a Brittany spaniel? It's a breed of dog," I informed shyly.

"Nope, I didn't know that, but okay, Brittany-Like-the-Spaniel," she laughed with a wide grin. "So, how do you know Quinn?"

"We went to high school together. She and I didn't really become close friends, though, until college while we were working on our undergrads," I answered, despite still feeling as if I were walking on eggshells. It felt like one more wrong move could throw the entire date for me, which I definitely did not want to happen.

"Ah, so you went to OSU?" she continued, effectively snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Yeah, and then we both decided moved to California, but she went to Berkeley while I went to U.C. Davis."

"Ah, I see. So if you went to California, why in the heck would you come back to Ohio?"

"Couldn't you ask Quinn the same thing?" I joked quietly with a timid smile as I struggled to gain more confidence. Thankfully, it managed to get a small chuckle out of the woman, which I found encouraging.

"True, but for now, I'm just asking you."

"Ah, well, I just had an overwhelming feeling that this is where I was supposed to be," I mentioned without thinking, but it didn't take me long to realize how awkward of an answer that was. Thankfully, the waitress cut in before Santana had a chance to ask for some sort of clarification.

"Hello, ladies. Are you ready to order?"

Looking over to Santana, I saw the unspoken question in her eyes and gave a little nod to show her I knew what I wanted.

"Yes, I'll have the chicken fettuccini alfredo," Santana informed while handing her the menu before they both glanced my way.

"I'll just have spaghetti, please." As soon as the waitress had walked away, I looked across the table and unintentionally blurted out, "I always get the spaghetti. It sort of became my thing after I started practicing pushing the meatballs around the plate with my nose like on Lady and the Tramp. It's my favorite movie ever, so yeah." I left my voice trailing off at the end as I realized how strange it must sound for an adult's favorite movie to be one that was originally meant for little kids.

"Uh, you know, it's, uh-It's just kind of a timeless classic for me and, uh, stuff," I tried to explain as I reached out towards the untouched tableware so my shaky hands could have something to keep them busy. What I wasn't expecting, however, was for the cutlery slip through my fingers and go cluttering to the floor before I even had time to process what was happening. Gritting my teeth, I clutched the clothed napkin in my fists and forced back the tears that were starting to prick my eyes.

_'Wow, this is just the icing on the cake... Now, I've even managed screw up our first date. Just terrific.'_

Releasing a quiet sigh, I threw the clothed napkin down on top of the table as a sign of surrender. "Look, I'm really sorry all this. I promise I'm not doing it on purpose, but I'd still totally understand if you'd want to get the food to-go and leave. I'll pay for everything, of course. I mean, it's the least I could do after ruining your nigh-"

"Brittany, what are you talking about?" Santana interrupted as she looked me square in the eyes with a softened expression. "You aren't ruining anything. Trust me. I actually find your quirkiness, and even your mild case of clumsiness, to be quite endearing, so don't worry about it. Just relax and be you, okay?"

"A-alright," I responded, thought I was caught completely off-guard by the fact that she was willing to stick around. In my opinion, I had literally given her every reason to go running for the hills, but I guess maybe not. "So, uh, what do, uh-what do you do for a living?" I asked in hopes to get as much attention off of me as possible while still trying to salvage what was left of the date.

She gave me a wide smile with a look of understanding and answered, "I'm a lawyer at my mother's firm, Lucas and Lopez. Originally, I thought I wanted to be a singer, but I quickly realized I preferred it more as a hobby and switched majors."

"What about now? Do you like what you do?"

The woman's lips split into a wide grin, "You have no idea. Ever since I became a political science major, I have lived and breathed law. I don't know why, but I love it."

"That's awesome. I'm glad you were able to find a career that makes you happy. So, I know this is kind of changing gears a bit, but I assume you aren't from Lima, seeing as how we didn't go to school together."

"Nope, I grew up in Cleveland. My dad used to work at a hospital there, but then he got a job offer at Lima Memorial while I was away at college. I decided that wanted to stay close to them after I graduated, which is how I eventually ended up here," she replied with a shrug before adding, "Alright, my turn again. So, you already know about Del, but I'm curious to know if you happen to have any pets of your own."

"Yep, I sure do. I have a two-year-old Golden Retriever named Layla and a cat named Lord Tubbington, but he still lives with my parents. No matter how hard I have tried to convince him to move in with me, he still refuses. I personally think it's because of the cute little calico that hangs out around their house, but who knows? He's a pretty secretive feline." That was enough to earn a giggle from the woman sitting across from me, which worked wonders in helping me calm down after the whole silverware debacle.

Thankfully, the rest of dinner was full of laughter and various stories ranging from our childhood adventures to present endeavors. Time was flying now that we were starting to get comfortable with one another, and before we knew it, our waitress was bringing us the check. As soon as the check presenter was on the table, I reached out to grab it only to have my hand slapped away.

"What the heck?" I asked as I shifted my gaze up to see Santana looking at me with a smug grin.

"I'm paying."

"What? No way! I told you that I was going to pay to make up for our awkward start."

"Yeah, and _I_ told you not to worry about it, so _don't_," she retorted as she slipped her debit card into the holder and handed it back to the waitress. Once she had returned with the receipt, Santana quickly added her tip to the merchant copy and signed her name at the bottom. Placing the pen down on the table, she gathered her things and nodded her head in the direction of the door to suggest we head out. I quickly stood to meet her and lead the woman to the door so I could hold it open for her.

"I still wish you would have let me pay for dinner," I mumbled quietly as the brunette stepped past me into the brisk evening air, causing her to look back at me as she rolled her eyes with a small smile.

"Don't worry. I'll let you pick up the tab next time."

That instantly brought my footsteps to an abrupt stop.

"Next time?" I questioned in disbelief, despite knowing that we would technically have to go on a second date if we ever had any hopes of getting married.

Realizing that I was no longer following her, she turned around and replied, "Yeah, unless you don't want to."

"I want to," I answered a little too quickly, but thankfully that only made her smile more.

"Good, so that means you wouldn't mind if I asked for you number right?"

I just stood there, staring blankly at her for a moment before saying the first thing that popped into my head.

"What the what?"

_'Yep, pretty sure my brain just short-circuited from an emotional overload. I can't even form coherent sentences right now.'_

"Your phone number? I was wondering if I could maybe have it. You know, so we could plan our next date and stuff," she explained, and for the first time that night, she actually looked a little bashful, which was more than enough to kick my brain back into gear.

"No, not at all. I'd really like that, actually," I agreed, moving forward once more to walk over to where she was standing so she could hand me her cellphone.

"Well, that's my car over there," she informed once my number had been successful saved into her contacts, motioning toward a red sports car that was sitting a few parking spaces away. "Good night, Brittany," she bid with a slight nod of her head.

"G-good night, Santana," I stuttered out as I watched her slowly turn around and make her way over to the car, throwing me one last look with a beaming smile before opening the driver side door and sliding in. Seeing no further reason to remain standing in the Breadstix parking lot any longer, I spun around and started towards my own vehicle. I hadn't even made it halfway when I felt my phone vibrate inside my purse and immediately noticed a text from a phone number I didn't recognize.

_Unknown Number: It was nice getting to know you tonight, Brittany. Hopefully we can do it again soon. Have a safe trip home._

I stared down at the screen for a moment in disbelief. How in the world did I manage to get a second date after the train wreck I caused at the beginning of the evening? I just assumed sum it up to fate smiling down on me since there was no better explanation for Santana to brush it all off so easily. Sure, she said that it was no big deal and how I shouldn't worry about it, but that is easier said than done. Regardless, it all seems to have somehow worked out in my favor, which I couldn't be happier about.

With a huge grin, I quickly typed out a quick response and sent it before I had a chance to overthink the message.

_To Santana: I had a great time getting to know you, too! Oh, and I hope you have a safe trip, as well! Good night!_

A little too enthusiastic? Yeah, probably, but what can I say? I had scored a second date with the girl of my dreams, and I felt like I was on top of the world. Now, I just had to get cracking on planning the most perfect date for her so she wouldn't come to regret it.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Oops! __I completely forgot to write this when I first posted the chapter, but I would just like to say that I hope you all enjoyed it. I have a few things planned for the next few chapters that I'm really excited to get started on, so hopefully there will be another chapter posted soon!_

_Anyways, thank you so very much for reading, and I hope to see you all next time!_


	3. Crossing Paths

_I was eight-years-old when I developed an interest in figuring out how the world worked._

_My third grade class had taken a field trip to the local planetarium, which was where I first realized the universe was much bigger than I could have ever imagined. From that day forward, I was hell-bent on expanding my world and decided to place a greater focus on the things I _couldn't_ see as opposed to those I could. _

_As the years passed, I continued to snatch up any little bit of information that dealt with the topics of space and time and eventually found myself gravitating towards the more elusive of the two: time. You see, anyone with a telescope or computer can observe the beauty of space, but the closest thing many of us come to grasping the concept time is the ticking hands of a clock._

_Back then, I would have never thought my research could one day lead to me defying the scientists who had concluded time travel was not possible. Unfortunately, no one outside of the trusted few I have confided in will ever know of my discovery._

_Sure, knowing what the future holds can be a very wonderful and useful thing, but at what price? _

_That was the one question I had failed to consider before making my trip, and I most certainly paid for it in the end._

* * *

Monday

The day started out as it normally did, with me walking into my office to find a hot cup of tea sitting on my desk. After placing my things on the floor beside my work space, I slid into my chair and slowly lifted the mug to my lips, giving the steaming liquid a gentle blow before carefully taking a sip. Just like every other morning, the warm drink had already been sweetened to perfection thanks to Allie, also known as the best veterinary technician in the history of ever.

Taking another quick drink, I placed the cup back down on the desktop in front of me and turned my focus to the morning's schedule. That is, until I suddenly noticed someone poking their head into the office.

"Good morning, Dr. Pierce," Allie called out as she stepped into the room.

Looking up from my computer screen, I greeted, "Morning, Al. Thanks for the tea."

"Not a problem. Anyways, I haven't had time to change it in the computer yet, but the Broussard's just called to reschedule their eight-thirty appointment for CeeCee so it looks like we don't really have anything going on until nine o'clock."

"Oh, alright. Thanks for the heads-up. How's Fitzgerald doing?"

"He's good. Still isn't really using his leg yet, but that's to be expected."

"Yeah, it's going to take some time for that false joint to form, but I'm sure he'll be back up and running in no time. Do you happen to know if he's been taken out yet?"

The girl shook her head, "Nope, I was actually just about to go do that."

"Don't worry. I got it," I offered as I closed out the schedule and prepared myself to leave.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it's cool. I think bit of fresh air would do us both some good, especially while I have a bit of free time," I joked, taking one more swig of tea before I pushed myself out of my chair.

Heading over to the cages located near our surgery area, I spotted the small Terrier mix I had performed a femoral head ostectomy on the week before. As soon as he spotted me, the little dog began wagging his tail and trying to maneuver his way into a standing position.

"Hey, hey! Take it easy, Little Guy. I promise we'll go outside. Just give me _one_ second," I chuckled out as I walked over to grab a leash. Opening his cage, I placed the device around his neck and lifted him up out of the compartment so I could take him out into the yard.

Setting the pup gently on the ground, I allowed him to walk as he pleased while following close behind. We continued meandering around the lawn like that for a few minutes when I suddenly noticed someone watching us from the fence line and looked up. Glancing over to the figure, I immediately recognized who it was and shouted, "Hey, Stranger. What are you doing here?"

"Just getting this pup's next round of shots," Santana's beautifully sweet voice informed as she nodded down at the black lab that was curiously looking at Fitzgerald, causing my browline to jump up in shock.

"Woah, has it really been a month already?" I asked as I started making my way over towards her.

Giving a slight shrug, Santana replied, "Yep, it kind of took me by surprise, too."

"I can only imagine with all the work you've been putting into that case you told me about. Speaking of which, how's that coming along?"

The woman's deep brown eyes instantly lit up with excitement as she answered, "I actually just finished the last bit of paperwork this morning."

Letting out a quick laugh, I added, "And so you naturally decided to bring your pup to the vet as soon as you were done."

"_Naturally_," she teased back with a playful eye-roll before clarifying, "but no, actually, Mom and Josh gave me the week off as a way to congratulate me on my first big win, so I decided to make the most of it and get a few things done before I go back to work on Monday, the first of which being the completion of this kid's puppy shots."

"Well, aren't you a productive little duck? I bet you're feeling a whole lot better now that you're done."

"Most definitely. I'm especially excited about not having to pull another all-nighter. I seriously feel like I could sleep for a year right now."

"I wouldn't doubt it. So, I'm guessing Del's appointment is scheduled for the lab tech to take care of?" I asked, assuming that would be the case since second and third puppy shots were almost always reserved for the technician in lab to take care of.

"Yeah, I think that's what the woman said on the phone when I called earlier."

"Well, I tell you what. Let me go put this little guy up, and I'll be right in to get those vaccines taken care of," I offered as I bent down to gently scoop up the terrier standing at my feet.

"Are you sure? I don't want to interrupt your work."

Understanding the brunette's concern, I reassured, "Don't even worry about it. I don't have anything going on for another forty-five minutes or so, so you're good. Just let the receptionist know that you talked to me outside so she can change the appointment over to my column, and I'll be right in." Sending the lawyer a small wink, I turned to leave, throwing a quick _'see you inside'_ over my shoulder before she even had the chance to question my offer a second time.

Once I had made it back to the surgery area, I found Allie placing a fresh layer of bedding into Fitzgerald's cage. Noticing my presence, she announced, "Just finished cleaning his cage and getting him all set up for the morning. All I have left to do is getting him some fresh food and water, but other than that, he's good to go."

See, what did I tell you? Perfect tech is perfect.

"Thanks, Al. I'm actually about to take one of the lab appointments and will need a holder, so would you mind coming to find me when you're done?" I asked as I carefully placed the pup back in his cage.

"Sure thing, Dr. P. Be there in a sec!" she answered before leaving to retrieve Fitz's breakfast.

After finding out Santana's location, I briskly walked over to Room Three and made my way inside. Giving her a quick grin, I glanced at the computer and began entering the vaccines we would be administering into the computer. "Okay, so it looks like this will be his last round of puppy shots, meaning you'll be good until next year."

"Awesome! I bet Delgado's happy to hear that. Right, D?" she inquired as she looked down to the dog, who was happily wagging his tail beside her.

Releasing a small chuckle, I informed the woman that I was going to go grab the vaccines and would be right back. As soon as I stepped out of the room, I spotted Allie standing in front of a computer screen with Delgado's account pulled up as she drew out the vaccines we needed into their individual syringes.

"Seriously, why are you so good at your job?"

The girl glanced over with a smirk and gave me a shrug before turning her attention back to pulling up the vaccine in her hand, "I didn't know I was. I just work. Anyways, you ready?"

"Yep, let's go," I replied as I lead her back into the room. While Allie got the dog on the table, I informed, "Alright, San-Uh, I mean, Ms. Lopez. We just have a few shots here, and then you two will be good to go."

Giving me an amused grin at my attempt to remain professional in the workplace, the woman nodded her head and whispered a few brief words of encouragement to the pup while patting him on the head.

Allowing my tech time to get him in the proper hold, I quickly administered the shots and gave him a couple treats for his cooperation. Once he was back on the ground, I told his owner, "Welp, I guess we're done for today, unless you were needing something else."

"Nope, I don't believe so," Santana returned with a shake of her head.

"Perfect. Then, you can just go to the front, and our receptionist will get you all check out."

"Alright, I guess I'll talk to you soon, then?" Santana quietly asked with a shy but hopeful smile.

"Definitely."

"Awesome. Talk to you then!" Santana said with a wave before leaving the room.

As soon as the woman was gone, I heard Allie speak up, "Well, I can definitely see now why you took that appointment when the lab technician _clearly _wasn't the least bit busy. She's hot!"

"Shut up, Kid," I replied as I started walking back to my office, purposefully using the nickname I knew she hated.

"Bitch, _please_. I'm twenty-two. You're only, like, what? Eight years older than me?"

That got my attention, "I'm not thirty, you little turd!"

"Meh, close enough," she retorted with a shrug.

"Don't you have a canine annual to go start prepping for?" I inquired as I took a seat back down at my desk, trying to not let her words have a visible effect on me.

"Already done," she instantly responded with a challenging look.

As soon as those words were out of her mouth, I couldn't help but ask myself, _'Why in the heck is that girl always have to be so on top of things? Seriously!' _Thinking quick on my feet, I shot back with the first thing that popped into my mind, "Alright, Smartass. Then, how about you go text your boyfriend or something and get out of my hair?"

"Okay, but only if you tell your little lady friend I said _hello _when you text her in a minute, which I know you'll be doing as soon as I leave the room," she countered with a knowing smirk as she made her way out of the office, but not before mentioning, "Oh, and I got you a fresh cup of tea. It was pretty hot when I made it, so it should still be warm."

Shifting my gaze to my desktop, I noticed a new mug filled with steaming tea and took it into my hand. "Seriously, why can't she just let me stay agitated at her for one second? Little punk," I grumbled into the mug as I took a cautious sip and immediately let out a relaxing sigh. "Dang, this is good," I muttered begrudgingly as I set the cup back down and retrieved my phone so I could send Santana a text.

Gosh, I'm so predictable.

* * *

Tuesday

Santana didn't end up texting me back until much later on that evening, which she immediately apologized for. Apparently, the remainder of her coffee high wore off as soon as she got home, which resulted in the woman crashing on her living room couch until about ten o'clock that night. Unfortunately, I couldn't stay up for much longer since I needed to get to work early, but I promised to text her as soon as I got up the following morning. Of course, she just _had _to beat me to the punch by being the first to send a 'good morning' text.

If there isn't one thing I've learned since meeting her, it's that she always has to one-up me, but that's only because she's realized how incredibly competitive I am.

We continued to text throughout the workday, which helped passed the time until it was time to pack up my things and go home. While on the way, I decided to swing by the local pet store to pick up a new seatbelt harness for Layla. Walking through the isles, I eventually found the leash and harness section and made my way over to find what I was looking for. Just as I began mulling through all the different options, I heard my text notification go off and pulled out the device.

_From Santana: Okay, please don't tell me that you're still all huffy and puffy about that whole 'good morning' text thing? I mean, if you wanted to be the first one to say it, then maybe you should have woken up earlier. Just saying. Lol._

Reading over her message, I couldn't help but poke fun at her choice of words.

_To Santana: 'Huffy and puffy,' San? Really?_

_From Santana: Oh, please, Ms. 'For A Donkey's Year.'_

_To Santana: Oh my gosh, I've only used that phrase once! Let it go._

_From Santana: Actually, it was twice, and I still have no idea what it means._

_To Santana: Well, I guess it's a good thing you have access to the internet, then, cause I'm not telling._

_From Santana: Rude._

Taking a second to type out a response, I hit send and put the device back in my purse to await her reply. Just as it was back in place, however, I heard someone else's phone notification go off and looked up to find a familiar brunette who had just turned onto the isle with her cart. Realizing she hadn't noticed me yet, I continued to watch as she glanced down at the screen, and I couldn't help but laugh at the confused grin that appeared on her face as she read my text.

"What's so funny?" I called out to her, causing her body to give a slight jolt in surprise.

Seeing that it was only me, she inquired, "Did you seriously just call me a cootie queen?"

"Yeah, it was either that or a lint licker, so," I trailed off while desperately trying to fight back an amused grin.

That comment only caused her to furrow her brow even more, however, as a not-so-discrete smile began pulling at the corners of her mouth, "Do you even know what that means?"

Feeling my own grin fade a little, I answered, "No, but I heard it on a commercial once and really wanted to reference it. Why? What does it mean?"

Biting back a laugh, she replied, "Nope, I'm going to let you figure this one out on your own. I mean, you _do_ have access to the internet, right?"

Gosh, I hate when she uses my words against me, though I kind of have to admit that I walked into that one.

"Whatever," I quietly murmured while trying to change the subject so she wouldn't have a chance to tease me again. "Anyways, I see that you have officially decided to keep Del," I commented after noticing that her basket was full to the brim with various types of bedding, toys, and treats.

"Yep, I sure did," the brunette commented with a light chuckle, knowing exactly what I was trying to do. Thankfully, she decided to play along as she added, "I wasn't ever able to find his owners, so it looks like we're in it for the long haul."

"You happy about that?"

Nodding her head, she replied, "Yeah, he's a great little dog, very well-mannered and laid-back. He has a few minor things we need to work on, but overall, not too bad. So, what are you here for?"

"Oh, I'm just getting Layla a new seat belt harness for her to wear during car rides and such," I informed as I shifted my gaze back to the wall of petwear.

"They sell those?"

"Yeah, though they weren't really regulated for a good while, so I had to make sure I did my homework so I could buy the best of the best." Finding the particular brand and size I was looking for, I looked back over to the woman and said, "You can actually have her old one if you want. It should fit Delgado perfectly."

"No way! I couldn't let you do that," Santana declined with a firm shake of her head.

I instantly felt my happy expression drop, "What? Why not?"

"What if you were to get another dog and needed it again?"

I wanted to tell her that there was no way that was going to happen any time soon, especially since we technically were already going to have two dogs to look after eventually, but instead, I settled for, "Then, I'll just buy a new one. Seriously, it's no big deal. It's out in my car, so all I have to do is go get it and give it to you."

Giving me a stern look, she negotiated, "Do you promise to let me know if you end up needing it back?"

"Yes, San, I promise," I swore as I reached over to lace her pinky finger in mine.

She continued to stare at me for another long moment before finally letting out a huff of defeat and said, "Fine, let me just get all this stuff checked out and then we can go grab it."

"Yay!" I cheered before starting to lead her to the front of the store.

"Oh, and Britt?" I heard her call out from behind me. Turning around, I saw her standing behind her buggy with a grateful grin as she told me, "Thanks."

Mirroring her smile, I simply responded, "Any time."

* * *

Wednesday

Pulling up to my childhood home the following afternoon, I got out of my car and grabbed the change of clothes out of the back seat before heading towards the front door. Once I had managed to shuffle all of my belongings into one arm, I fished my keys from my purse and unlocked the door. Twisting the knob, I pushed the door open only to drop everything in my possession as a giant white fur ball, better known as my parent's Great Pyrenees, jumped up to greet me.

"Okay, okay! Down, Koda!" I chided between loud bouts of laughter. I swear Dakota has got to be one of the silliest dogs I have ever come across. He has absolutely oblivious to the fact that he is _not_ a little Japanese Spitz and tries to spend most of his days as a spoiled lapdog. Like, he will seriously take his one hundred and twenty pound body and crawl into your lap if you let him.

Trust me, I know from experience.

Lots and _LOTS_ of experience.

Eventually getting all four paws back on the ground, I picked up my things and stepped inside the spacious home so I could make my way over to the bathroom to change. As soon as I walked back out in my running attire, the fluffy dog looked at me with an expecting look as his large bushy tail began sweeping across the floor in rapid succession.

"Yeah, you know what's going on, Kiddo. Now, let's go get your leash, so we can go on your evening walk," I informed as I walked over to the dining room table to grab the item in question and clipped it onto his collar. Cracking open the door, the barreling ball of fur took off out of the house, but not before I somehow found the strength to keep my footing on the doorstep as I shakily jammed my key into the deadbolt to lock it back in place.

Dakota managed to pull me along for about two blocks before finally settling down and allowing me to walk at a normal pace while staying a few steps ahead of me. Realizing that the initial excitement had passed, I let my body relax and enjoy the rest of the walk as he continued to lead us towards the local park.

As one has probably noticed by now, this wasn't exactly our first rodeo. Whenever we take these walks, we always go the same route I used to always take back when I was living with my parents and went on evening runs to stay in shape.

Trekking up the sidewalk, we made our way through the entrance of the park and weaved around families hanging out just inside the gates. Once things had cleared out a bit, we started a brisk pace down the cemented path that careened around the three large ponds spread throughout the mostly open field.

We had just set a good pace for ourselves when I heard someone suddenly call out my name from somewhere behind me. Turning to find out who it was, I spotted Santana and Delgado making their way towards us.

Dang, she looked _so_ good in that skin-tight tank top and tiny runny shorts.

Snapping myself out of my thoughts, I decided to tease the approaching woman by saying, "You know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were stalking me."

Santana let out a loud laugh in response to my comment before replying, "I'm not, I swear. This is all either sheer coincidence or the universe is seriously trying to tell us something. By the way, I thought you said you had a Golden Retriever."

Following her line of sight, I realized she was talking about the dog standing by my side and replied, "Oh, I did. This is my parents' dog, Dakoda. I'm just taking care of him while they're out of town for the week. Tell San _hi_, Koda Bear!" Right on cue, the dog let out an excited bark, which caused another round of giggles to burst out from the brunette.

"Wow! Now, _that's_ a greeting!"

"Yeah, he definitely knows how to make an impression," I joked as I looked down at Dakota, who was ecstatic over our new company.

"Hm, sounds a lot like someone else I know," Santana quipped. Shifting my gaze back towards her, I found her dark eyes already trained on me and realized the meaning behind her statement.

"Oh, come on, San. You know I'm still sensitive about that whole blind date debacle," I complained, which only fueled her laughter.

"Hey, I never said it was a bad impression," she tried to defend with a sly grin.

"Sure, sure. Anyways, since we're both here, would you like to accompany us on our walk?"

"Yeah, we'd love to. Right, Del?" she asked the black lab at her feet, who simply wagged his tail in response.

"Great, then we'd better move on before it gets dark and this tough guy here turns into a big, old scaredy-cat," I said, nodding my head towards Dakota to hint at who I was referring to.

"Well, we wouldn't want that, now would we?"

"Definitely not," I stated before we each turned to continue down the pathway while carrying on our conversation.

During our stroll, I learned that the brunette actually lived around the corner from my parents, which was why she ended up walking to the park, too. I also learned that her day off had consisted mostly of naps, crappy daytime television, and a call from her mother, who had announced that Santana was being considered for a partner position at the firm.

I watched as her deep brown eyes lit up at that announcement. It was obvious that she wanted to make partner, and apparently, she wasn't too far from achieving that goal. According to her mother, the main thing she had to do was to keep up the good work and continue churning out courtroom victories. It also appeared that she would have another chance to prove herself soon with the second announcement that she would be in charge of their next big case upon her return to work, which seemed to make her even more excited.

By the time we returned to our starting point, the sun had set and street lamps had turned on. Realizing how dark it had gotten, I looked Santana and asked, "Would it be okay if I walked you home? It's just late, and I'd feel better if I made sure you got back okay. Plus, it's kind of on the way to my parents' house, so-"

"Britt, it's okay. I'd love nothing more than for you to walk me home," Santana's voice cut in before I continue rambling on like a nervous idiot. Then, she quickly added, "but only if you let me drive you to their house after. Like you said, it's gotten late, and I'd rather be safe than sorry. So, what do you say?"

"I'd say you have yourself a deal."

* * *

Thursday

It was finally my day off, which meant it was my only day to be productive so I wouldn't have to get out on the weekend. By noon, I had already paid the bills and taken Layla for a three mile run, leaving grocery shopping as the last thing on my to-do list.

Rarely did I ever arrive with a list of items to buy. When you're only buying for yourself and a dog, coming up with a grocery list on the spot becomes relatively easy. Since the produce section was located right in the front, I decided to make that my first stop. I quickly made my fruit rounds, gathering all of the usuals: strawberries, grapes, bananas, etc.

Once I had collected everything I wanted, I pushed my buggy towards the vegetable section and parked the cart right in front of the carrots. Thankfully, the three pound bags of baby carrots were in stock this time. Last time, Layla and I had to settle with a two pound bag, which was not nearly enough considering how that is both my secret veggie obsession and her main source of treats.

I was just about to load the large bag into the basket when I suddenly felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Pulling it out, I read the name out on the screen and let out a huff. I was just about to ignore the call but abruptly decided to answer it instead, "Hello?"

_"You've been avoiding my calls," _the woman on the other end of the line muttered in an eerily even tone.

Feeling a chill run down my spine, I attempted to act none the wiser by responding, "I don't know what you're talking about."

I instantly knew that she was aware I was lying because I could hear her let out an irritated groan. She apparently opted to drop the matter, however, because the next thing I knew, she was asking, _"So, how did the blind date go?"_

"Well, actually-"

"Britt?" a voice called out from behind me.

_'Oh no. Please don't let this be happening right now. Not while I'm on the phone with Quinn,' _my mind begged as soon as it recognized who the voice belonged to.

_"Brittany? Hey, are you still there?"_

_'Okay, this has to end right now,' _I silently decided, turning my attention back to the other blonde.

"Hey, Q, you've kind of caught me at a bad time. I'm going to have to let you go."

"You know, we really need to stop meeting like thi-Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see that you were on the phone," Santana apologized as she halted her progression towards me.

_"Wait, is that Santana I just heard?"_

Ignoring the woman on the other end of the line, I slid my hand over the receiver and informed the brunette, "Don't worry. It's just Quinn."

"Oh, tell her I said hi."

"Do I really have to?" Watching the lawyer playfully roll her eyes at my response, I reluctantly told Quinn, "San says hello."

_"Oh my God! I knew it! I swear I could recognize that voice anywhere!"_

She continued rambling on about how she was right all along and knew that we would click, but I almost instantly stopped listening and decided to focus more on the woman standing in front of me, instead. Lightly shaking my head, I gave her a look that told her that she had triggered one of Quinn's rants.

_"Brittany, are you even listening to me?"_

"Nope, can't say that I am," I answered honestly, keeping my eyes trained on the brunette's.

_"Fine, I'll let you get back to visiting with your lover girl, but we're not through talking about this. Oh, and can you please tell that skank that she needs to start answering my calls, too?"_

"Hey, don't call her that!" I shouted without thinking.

Santana instantly gave me a questioning look, but I just shook my head in response, not really wanting to repeat the blonde despite knowing that she had been using the name as a weird term of endearment that only good friends could get away with using. I figured Santana and Quinn were a lot closer than I had previously imagined, but that was beside the point.

_"Oh my gosh, you are already so incredibly whipped. Just wait until I tell the rest of the Glee group about thi-"_

Not really caring to hear the rest of her statement, I decided to cut her off by saying, "Okay, yeah sure whatever. Gotta go, Q. Bye!" Hanging up the phone, I went ahead and silenced the device before slipping it back into my pocket.

"Did you seriously just hang up on her?" Santana questioned in disbelief before letting out a loud round of laughter.

"Well, she called you a name that I didn't exactly appreciate, so she kind of got what was coming to her."

Hearing my honest answer, Santana gave me an endearing look and replied, "Aw, don't worry. We always do that. Let me guess, she called me a bitch?"

"No," I answered simply, not really wanting to say the word out loud.

"Hoe?"

"No."

"Skank?"

Unable to bring myself to give her a verbal confirmation, I replied with a slight nod of my head.

"Yeah, I figured it'd be one of those three. Basic Bitch couldn't find a good insult even if it came up and slapped her in the face." Suddenly, we both heard a faint buzzing noise coming from her purse. Taking out her phone, she looked at the screen before looking back up towards me with a mischievous grin on her face and answered the call, "Sup, Asshat?"

The woman instantly winced as she tore the phone away from her ear, and even I could hear Quinn's voice shouting out from the other end of the line. After a few seconds of listening to Quinn's yelling, Santana appeared to have enough as she growled into the phone, "Okay, that's quite enough talking, Windbag. I honestly don't understand why you insist on interrupting Britt and I when you are supposed to be letting us get to know one another. If anything, you should be wanting to leave us alone right now."

Quinn must have responded to the brunette's comment because Santana suddenly added, "Yeah, I understand that you're excited for us, but can't you go do that somewhere else? I'm sure the Three Stooges would absolutely _love_ to hear about your lame ass attempt at playing matchmaker."

There was another moment of silent before Santana spoke up once more, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. We'll talk again soon. Okay, bye." As soon as Santana had ended the call, she gave Brittany an apologetic look, "I don't really think our date was lame. I was just saying that to piss her off. Plus, I had already developed a bit of a crush on you after meeting you at the clinic, so she wasn't really-" She suddenly stopped talking as her eyes widened in realization of what she had just admitted. I continued to watch as a faint blush crept up her neck and across her cheeks as she continued to sputter at her slip up. "Um, I-I mean-Uh-"

Suppressing the huge grin that was threatening to break out across my face, I decided to cut the poor girl a break and changed the subject, "So, who are the Three Stooges you were referring to?"

Rushing to reestablish her composure, she answered, "Her two friends and boyfriend, A.K.A. Puckleberry Finn."

"Oh my gosh, I swear I love you even more now that I've heard that," I announced between bouts of laughter. That is until I realized what I had said and suddenly brought all my laughing to an abrupt stop, "Uh, I mean-Crap, that's not what I-"

"It's okay, Britt. Don't sweat it. I know what you meant," Santana interrupted, giving me a playful wink. "Plus, now we're even as far as embarrassing ourselves goes."

"Yep, definitely even," I agreed before letting a comfortable silence pass between us. Suddenly feeling a surge of confidence, I decided to finally attempt to ask the question that had been on the tip of my tongue for days. "Hey, San, do you, uh-Do you maybe want to go out to dinner tomorrow night? You know, with me?"

The brunette's face quickly lit up at my offer, "I would really, really like that, actually."

"Great! I'll pick you up at seven."

* * *

Friday

Harrison's Steakhouse is a quaint little bungalow I stumbled upon once while wandering the outskirts of Lima back in high school. It wasn't a very well-known establishment since it was hidden away from most of the hustle and bustle of Lima, but the food served was some of the best the city had to offer. Over time, I really got to know the restaurant's owners, Tom and Edna Harrison, who eventually became two of my favorite clients at Lima Vet Center.

Thankfully for San and I, my connections with the couple managed to work out in our favor since I was able to reserve my favorite table for our semi-impromptu date. Edna's only stipulation was that she got to personally seat us so she could have a chance meet the girl I had yet to tell her about, which I quickly agreed to.

Walking through the front doors the next evening with Santana at my side, I simply informed the host about our reservation and waited for him to return from the back of the restaurant with Edna in tow.

"Hello, Brittany. It's a pleasure to see you, as always," she greeted before looking at San. "And who might this beautiful young lady be?"

"This is Santana, my date for the evening."

"Well, it is certainly a pleasure to meet you," the older woman replied as she held out her hand for Santana to shake. Once they released their hold, the older woman turned so she could lead us to our table as she continued to tell the brunette, "I tell you what, this girl right here is a _fantastic_ veterinarian. I can still remember the time she-"

"Edna," I called out in a warning tone as I followed closely behind them, knowing exactly was she was trying to do.

"Oh, be quiet, Hun. I'm trying to tell Santana a story," the woman threw over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Santana. "Anyways, about three years ago, we brought in a stray dog who had been hit by a car. I hate to say this, but I didn't think there was any way the poor thing was going to make it. It was a pretty grim situation, but we decided to do whatever we could to save her. Brittany worked on her for two straight hours, but she did it. She saved her life, and now, I can't possibly imagine life without our quirky little Annie Girl."

"I really didn't do all that mu-" I tried to deny, but the restaurant owner instantly spun around to cut me off.

"Brittany, did you or did you not save my dog's life?"

"Well, yeah, but-"

"Then, stop acting like you aren't as incredibly talented as you are," the woman chided before turning her attention back to Santana. "Everything tonight is on the house, by the way, so feel free to get whatever you'd like. Please also be sure to keep this one in line," she requested while motioning in my direction. "Brittany likes to play down her accomplishments, but don't believe her for a minute. She's just being modest."

And with that, she placed the menus on our table and simply walked off.

You know, as much as I loved that woman, she really knew how to grind my gears.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Santana questioned after sensing my shift in mood.

"I didn't bring you here to get a free meal," I grumbled as I nervously allowed my eyes to meet her gaze, afraid that she might have gotten the wrong impression. "I'm not a cheap date, I swear."

Santana released a chuckle, "I know you aren't, Britt. It's okay. She seemed pretty intent on not taking no for an answer, though, so you might as well let her do what she wants."

I gave the woman a curt nod, though I still wasn't pleased with the whole situation. Regardless, there wasn't much I could do now, so I just opted to drop it and get on with the date. Sliding into the booth, I motioned to the space across from me with a small smile that told her I was letting my distaste for Edna's offer go.

Once we were both seated, we each quietly began reading the menus. I was just about to attempt a bit of small talk when Santana announced, "Hey, Britt, I have a question."

"Uh, yeah, San?" I asked as I looked up to meet her gaze.

"I've been wondering. How are you always so cool and collected at the clinic but a shy, adorable klutz whenever we go out to dinner?"

"Because I'm in my element when I'm at work. It's where I'm most confident," I quietly answered without missing a beat.

Her face took on a thoughtful expression at my admittance as she inquired, "And not when you're on a date?"

"Well, no, actually," I supplied with a shrug as I placed the menu back down on the table. "To be honest, our blind date was kind of my first date since high school," I admitted while nervously fiddling with my hands underneath the booth.

"Bullshit," she instantly replied with a disbelieving look, not believing my claim for a second.

"No, I'm being serious," I tried to convince as I stared down at the open menu in front of me. "Anyways with that being said, I think it's pretty safe to say that I was, and still am, a little out of practice."

"Okay, hold on. I'm still trying to process your last statement. How in the _world_ have you not had a date since high school? You're fucking gorgeous and incredibly smart, not to mention kind and funny."

All I could do was give her a small shrug because I didn't exactly know the best way to tiptoe around the subject without spilling all the details I wasn't ready to explain to her.

Thankfully, she decided to leave it at that, giving me a sure shrug as she replied, "Well, whatever. It's their loss. They'll be sorry they missed out on a catch like you."

"Yeah? You really think so?" I lightly joked with a false tone of naivety, causing the girl to shoot me a confident smirk.

"Oh, I _know_ so."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hello, everyone! __Sorry it's been a little while, but I finally managed to finish this chapter!_

_I'm pretty sure this turned out to be the longest chapter I've ever written, but hopefully it wasn't too much of a drag._

_Anyways, I just wanted to thank all of you for taking the time to read this, and I hope to see you all again soon!_


	4. Heartbeats

_By age eleven, I had become close friends with a boy named Kurt Hummel. Kurt's dad owned one of the most successful auto shops in town, which was where my days of part collecting began. Anytime Kurt mentioned his dad dragging him to the old junk yard on the west side of town to drop off unneeded car parts, I would ask him if I could tag along._

_Once I had taken a few trips out there with them, I began making trips by myself and got to know the old couple who owned the yard. Their names were Scott and Margaret, and they were two of the most giving people I have ever come across. After a few years of spending my allowance and the spare cash I would somehow manage to scrounge up, the two decided to give me free range to collect whatever I wanted, free of charge._

_I can honestly say that without their generosity, I would have never been able to see the things I saw. Some may view that fact as a double-edged sword, especially after knowing all of the troubles my time traveling has caused me. At the same time, I can't help but to feel grateful for the tools they gave me to help chase my dreams._

* * *

I had just settled myself into my chair when I heard a light knock on the open office door. Looking up, I spotted Allie standing there with a knowing smirk as she told me, "Hey, Doc. You have a visitor here to see you."

Just as I was about to ask her what she was talking about, I noticed Santana step into view, causing a giddy grin to spread across my face. To be honest, I wasn't exactly expecting to see her today, especially after suddenly having to cancel our lunch date. We had been dating for the past few months, and this was the first time I couldn't make it, which had really bummed me out. Thankfully, she understood that there was an emergency surgery I had to tend to and accepted my offer to make it up to her later.

As soon as the technician had walked away, I greeted, "Hey, San, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I was out grabbing some food and thought I would bring you some since you couldn't meet me for lunch," the woman answered as she stepped into the office, taking a quick look around before settling her gaze back on me. Suddenly, a warm smile overtook her face as she mentioned, "I've never seen you in a scrub top before."

Glancing down at my attire, I replied, "Yeah, I just got out of an exploratory on a Great Dane puppy that was aspiring to be a live piggy bank and ended up eating thirty-seven cents in change."

Her eyes suddenly widened in shock, "Is the dog okay?"

"Oh yeah, he's expected to make a full recovery as long as he takes it easy and steers clear of his owner's coinage." My response seemed to have a calming effect on the lawyer as I watched her body visibly relax.

"Okay, good. Hopefully he'll learn his lesson from all this."

"Yeah, let's hope. I'd really hate to have to repeat the procedure," I joked, but my voice ended up trailing off at the end as I watched Santana's face tense as it took on a quizzical expression. Following her line of site, I looked down to find the tip of a deep scar peeking out from the _V_-ed collar of my scrub top.

_Oops. _

"Brittany, what is that?"

Snapping my eyes back up to hers, my mind rushed with the thoughts of how to explain the long, jagged scar I had running the length of my sternum, but nothing came to mind. I just maintained my gaze on the woman as the she continued to stare at the scar as if she were afraid to know what it was and why it was there.

"S-San, I, uh-It's, uh," I fumbled as I tried to get my brain and mouth to somehow work together in delivering an explanation to the brunette standing across from me. Getting up from my desk, I quickly walked over and quietly shut the door, not wanting to draw attention to us or spook Santana. Turning back around to face her, I took the bag of food from her hand and set it down while still trying to form a coherent sentence. "San, there's something I've been meaning to tell you. You see, I kind of had to have open heart surgery back in high school, and-"

"What do you mean you _kind of_ had to have open heart surgery?" she cut in with a sense of urgency I had never seen in her before.

"Well, I started having a few heart problems at the time. At first, I didn't think it was anything to be worried about; just a minor little issue that caused me to become light-headed if I pushed myself too hard." I gave a little pause to gather my thoughts since it was becoming increasingly harder to recount what happened. To be honest, this wasn't exactly my favorite thing to come of my time traveling experience.

Unfortunately, I was already in too far to turn back, so I decided to press on with my explanation of what happened, "But there was one time where I went too far. I ignored all the symptoms that were warning me to stop, and I ended up collapsing. The next thing I knew, I was waking up in the hospital and being told that I would need to undergo open heart surgery, which is how I got this," I added while slowly pulling down the scrub top's collar to give her a better look at the scar.

I decided to end my story there for the time being. I could tell that she wasn't ready for any more details nor was I ready to begin explaining how I had had somehow forgot to take into consideration the forces that would be exerted on my body while traveling through a wormhole.

I studied her face to hopefully get an idea of how she was taking the newly divulged information. All I found, however, were a pair of sad, glassy eyes as the girl began to crumble. Rushing forward, I pulled her into a tight embrace and gently pressed my cheek to the top of her head as I assured, "I'm okay now, though. I promise. Please don't cry."

A quiet, muffled sob was the only thing to break the brief silence that passed between us. Running a comforting hand up and down her back, I tried to settle the whimpering woman still wrapped in my arms.

After a few minutes of us standing there, Santana pulled away slightly to look me square in the eyes and inquired, "Are you sure?"

Scrunching my brow in confusion, I asked, "Am I sure of what?"

"Are you sure you're okay now?" she clarified, causing her bottom lip to begin trembling once more.

"Oh, yes, San. I'm sure," I reassured as I pulled her back into me. "I take better care of myself now and try to avoid as much stress as possible. I also have frequent check-ups and tests run to ensure that everything is functioning the way it's supposed to."

"Okay," she sighed out in relief as she buried her face deeper into my chest. "I'm sorry for reacting like this. I guess I've just grown attached to you over the past few months, and I'd really hate for anything bad to happen to you."

"Well, you shouldn't have anything to worry about then because I've grown pretty attached to you, too, and have absolutely no plans of going anywhere any time soon."

"Good, I'm glad," she replied before allowing another moment of silence to pass between us. I was just about to crack a joke about how sappy we had become to lighten the mood when she abruptly spoke up once again. "Come have dinner at my house Saturday night. I'll cook us a huge meal, and you can even bring Layla. We'll just have a quite night in with you, me, and the pups."

Tightening my hold around her, I let a smile break across my face as I replied, "Now, _that_ sounds an absolutely perfect idea."

* * *

"Aw, come on, Lay. It's just rain," I cooed as I continued trying to coerce the dog out of my car. Suddenly, a bright flash of lightning and loud roll of thunder sent Layla bolting out of the vehicle and, thankfully, towards Santana's front door. Quickly locking the car, I rushed over to the woman's doorstep so I could grab the leash of the cowering dog and ring the doorbell.

We only had to wait a couple of seconds before Santana managed to open the door, greeting me with a quick, "Hey, Britt-Britt!" before stepping back to welcome us into the house.

"Hey, San, thanks for inviting us over," I responded as I slid off the hood of my raincoat and pressed a light kiss to her cheek. Just as I pulled away, I noticed the brunette look down at the golden retriever at my side with a knitted brow.

"Um, B, is your dog wearing a rain jacket and little dog-sized boots?"

Chuckling at her reaction, I knelt down in front of Layla and began removing the rain-proof accessories while explaining, "Yeah, she really hates the rain, so I have to put all this on her or else she won't even step out the front door. Aside from the fact that she is terrified of thunderstorms, I also think she hates feeling of wet grass on her paws."

The brunette emitted a quiet giggle when a loud beeping noise suddenly caught us by surprise, causing both of our bodies to give a small jolt. "Oh, that must be the food," she guessed, glancing over in the direction of what I assumed to be the kitchen before looking back towards me. "I'm going to go check on that real quick. Feel free to make yourself at home," she informed as she started walking away.

"Will do," I called out behind her as I placed Layla's boots neatly by the door and stood back up to hang her jacket on the coat rack mounted to the wall. After removing all of my rainwear, I walked over to take a seat on the couch while the dogs greeted one another.

After playing around for a few minutes, the pair went over to the other side of the room and curled up on the floor next to each other. Thankfully, the long walk Santana and I had taken them on earlier in the day before all the rain had completely tuckered them out, leaving us with a quiet evening in, just as San had intended.

"They look like they're still getting along," Santana mentioned from the other side of the room as she made her way towards the couch where I sat.

Shifting my gaze towards her, I replied, "Yeah, I'm kind of surprised how quickly they've clicked, especially after just meeting this morning."

San took her seat right beside me, allowing her arm to gently brush against mine in the process. "Well, that sort of thing just kind of happens sometimes, doesn't it?" she asked as she wiggled her hand beneath mine so she could lace our fingers together.

"Yep, I suppose so," I agreed, leaning a bit more into her side. "So, I'm guessing the food wasn't ready?"

"Nope, it'll probably take another twenty minutes or so."

"Good. I just want to sit with you like this for a bit."

"Mm, me too," she hummed out as she rested her head on my shoulder.

Readjusting myself to get a little more comfortable, I let out a quiet sigh in contentment before allowing my eyes to slide shut, enjoying the quiet simplicity of being snuggled up with the girl I had fallen for.

* * *

We must have dozed off sometime during the next twenty minutes because before we knew it, the timer started going off in the kitchen once again. As soon as we heard it beeping, Santana shot off the couch, causing me to fall over a bit before managing to catch myself.

Pushing myself back into an upright position, I rubbed my eyes sleepily and let out a yawn. It wasn't long before the alarm sounds ceased, returning the house to it's quiet state. Leaning my head back to rest against the couch cushion, I blinked my eyes up at the ceiling above in an attempt to wake myself. The task proved to be more of a challenge than I had anticipated, especially while listening to the woman quietly move around as she got dinner ready to go. Suddenly, there was a soft shuffling of footsteps before Santana stepped back into the room and apologized for bolting out of the room without warning.

Lolling my head to the side, I allowed her figure to come into view. With a dopey, half-asleep smile, I assured, "No worries. I think we _both_ got caught a little off guard."

"Well, the food is ready to go now, Sleepyhead, so let's get you up before it gets cold," she teased with a wide grin as she made her way towards me, gently sliding her hand into mine so she could help me stand and led me into the dimly lit dinning room. The lights had been turning down, leaving a few candles to provide most of the lighting in the room. Allowing the brunette to help me get seated, I noticed two sets of plates and silverware she had already set catty-corner from one another.

"Wow, San. If I had known it was going to be a candle-lit dinner, I would have dressed for the occasion."

"Which is why I didn't tell you," she said, lightly smoothing my hair with her hand before placing a kiss on the top of my head. "You don't have to dress up for me. You always look perfect."

"I'd be careful what you ask for. I might just show up next time wearing nothing but a bathing suit."

"Please do," Santana joked as she buried another kiss in my hair. "I'm going to go grab the food off the stove. Be right back."

A simple _okay_ was all I managed to get out before she had disappeared from my sight once more. I didn't have to wait long, however, for her to return with a large pot that she quickly set down on a potholder she had somehow managed to throw down.

"One more thing," the woman promised as she darted back out of the room, bringing a plate of garlic bread back with her.

"Oh my gosh, this smells amazing," I commented as I watch her lift the lid off the pot, reveling the meal that had been a secret up until that point. "You made me spaghetti and meatballs?"

"Yeah, it's kind of been a goal of mine to make it for you ever since our first date. I remembered how embarrassed you were that night, and I wanted to make sure you still knew that it was no big deal and that you could always be yourself around me. Just think of this as our official _Lady and the Tramp-_themed date," she announced with a smile bright enough to light up the dark room, leaving me absolutely speechless as I watched her spoon out equal-sized portions onto our plates while trying to discretely give me more of the meatballs.

Never had anyone gone through so much trouble to help make me feel more at ease, and the brunette was apparently just getting started.

"Okay, so I only had time to practice this a few times, so sorry if I mess up," she warned as she swept all of her hair over to one shoulder and leaned her face down towards the plate. Once she was down low enough to where her face was almost touching the pasta, she tucked her chin in slightly and pushed it back out, pushing one of the meatballs in my direction.

After giving it a another little nudge, Santana leaned back up to look at me with the dorkiest smirk plastered across her face, which was accompanied by a subtle shyness that wondered if what she had just done was okay.

Not even trying to stop the giddy grin that formed on my face, I picked up my fork and popped the meatball into my mouth. Releasing a contented hum, I covered my mouth with my free hand so I could let her know how delicious it was while still trying to chew the food.

"Good. This is my first time using this recipe, and I was afraid it might not turn out well," Santana admitted, grabbing her napkin so she could remove the spaghetti sauce from her nose.

Quickly placing my hand over hers, I waited for her gaze to shift back towards me before saying, "Let me." Taking the napkin I had placed in my lap, I reached over to wipe off the residue and gave the tip of her nose a light peck. "This is perfect, San. All of it. Thank you," I said with all the sincerity my voice to muster.

"Anytime, Britt-Britt. Now, dig in. This food isn't going to eat itself," the woman encouraged as she picked up her fork and began twirling it into the pile of saucy noodles.

* * *

Once we were done, we returned to the living room to continue our evening together. Taking my seat back on the couch, I waited for Santana to pop in a movie and make her way back over to the couch before lifting my arm so she could slide under it and curl into my side.

"I can't believe they're still sleeping," the brunette mentioned as she eyed the two dogs who were still snoozing on the other side of the room.

"Me either. We must have warn them out more than we thought."

"I don't know. I'm pretty tired myself."

"Do you want us to go? I know you've been putting in a lot of hours at work and then we went on that long walk this morning, so I'd totally understand," I offered her, but she fervently shook her head.

"No way, especially not in this weather. It's still pouring outside."

Discretely rolling my eyes, I assured, "San, I only live about ten minutes away. I'm pretty sure we can manage."

Of course, the woman just had to be stubborn.

"I said _no_. If the rain doesn't let up by the time the movie is over, then you can just stay here for the night."

That got my attention. Feeling my cheeks warm, I stuttered out, "W-what?"

"You can stay here. Really, it's not a big deal. In fact, I'd actually prefer it."

"Okay, well we still have a couple of hours in the meantime, so let's just wait and see if anything changes," I reasoned as I shyly shifted my gaze away from her, still managing to catch her nod of approval from the corner of my eye.

Of course, nothing ended up changing over the next couple of hours. In fact, I'd even go as far as saying that it had gotten worse. Peaking out the front window, I watched the sky pour down and bright flickers of lightning illuminate the dark street outside.

"_Now_ will you agree to stay?" Santana questioned from behind me, causing me to spin around.

"Well, I guess I don't really have a choice seeing as how I probably wouldn't be able to see anything in front of me if I were to try and drive."

"Good, then it's settled. Let's go get changed so we can hit the sack," she proposed as she turned to lead me down the hall towards what I assumed to be her bedroom. Santana opened the door and ushered me inside before taking off to the dresser located on the other side of the room. Digging through the second drawer, she pulled out a t-shirt and held it up towards me. "Here's a sleep shirt. Now, let me just find you a pair of shorts," she muttered absentmindedly before leaning over to slide open the next drawer down.

"Thanks, San," I replied as I opened the shirt to find a University of Michigan logo plastered to the front, effectively bringing all of my thought processes to an abrupt halt. "Hold up! You are a U-M fan?"

The woman looked back at me briefly over her shoulder before turning her attention back to digging through the clothes that were crammed into the storage space, "Well, that _is_ where I got my both of my degrees and all. It really shouldn't be all that surprising."

"Yeah, you're right. It wouldn't have been _if you had told me_," I stressed, shaking the article of clothing in her direction.

Finally finding what she had been looking for, she closed the drawer and turned back around towards me. "Hey, you also went to U.C. Davis. Shouldn't that kind of dilute your team rivalry instinct?"

"Heck no! I'm a Buckeye through and through."

"Welp, then it looks like we're going to be a house divided," Santana instantly shot back without thinking. She must have realized what that statement implied because I suddenly noticed a faint blush dust across her cheeks as she stumbled through trying to amend her statement. "Or, I, uh, mean that we're a relationship divided? Crap, that's still suggesting we're something more. Not that I don't want something more. Because I do. Like, a lot. I mean-Shit."

Deciding to spare the brunette any further embarrassment, I closed the distance between us so I could wrap her up in my arms, "I love when you're attempts at teasing go awry."

"Shut up. You know what I was trying to say," Santana grumbled, pressing her forehead into my shoulder.

"Yeah, I do. Now, hand over those shorts so I can go change. I'm ready for sleepy time."

Stepping out of my hold, Santana handed them over with a laugh and gave me a light kick in the rear as soon as I had turned to leave the room.

"Hey, I wouldn't act that way unless you want me to go sleep downstairs."

"Aw, I'm _so_ sorry, Dear. Please hurry back," the woman sarcastically replied.

"Alright, be back in a jiff, Sweetheart," I shot back with a wink.

* * *

"I hate this."

"Aw, come on. You look good in maize and blue," Santana teased from the other side of the bed.

"I don't care. I _feel_ gross. I'm also still not convinced you gave me these dumb shorts on _accident_," I grumbled as reached out my foot to push against one of her legs.

"I told you, B. Just sheer coincidence," she insisted as she shoved my leg back.

"Why the heck do you have a pair of shorts with _Wolverines_ written across the butt, anyways? Don't you think it's kind of tacky?" I playfully jeered._  
_

"Hey, those were a gift from my mom right after I got accepted for my undergrad, Jerk."

"Well, then your mother and I are going to have to have an exchanging of words because _seriously_."_  
_

"Oh yeah, because that would _definitely_ put you in her good graces."

I couldn't help but roll my eyes as I assured, "Don't worry. I'm sure I'll have no problem convincing her that you are both rooting for the dark side."

"Star Wars, Britt? Really?" Santana snickered.

"Well, if the shoe fits," I teased back, eliciting a laugh from the brunette. Suddenly, I noticed a slight shiver run down Santana's body and dropped the act as soon as I realized that she was probably cold. Scooting across the small space separating us, I took some of my covers and pulled them towards her so that she would have a little more material to help keep her warm. Just as I was about to tuck it around her, I felt a small hand wrap around my wrist and pull me off balance, causing me to plop down on top of the woman.

"Hey, what was that for?" I asked as I propped myself up onto my elbow so that I wouldn't have my entire body weight on her.

"What? I'm cold," she defended with a sly smirk.

"Oh, so you want me to act as your personal warmer?"

"No, I also want to do this," she stated before leaning up and pressing her lips against mine.

My eyes widened in shock before I finally managed to respond to the kiss, marking the exact moment everything hit me.

The butterflies.

The fireworks.

_Everything._

It was honestly the most beautifully wonderful kiss of my life, leaving me both breathless and hungry for more as I felt the woman pulling away.

"Wow," I breathed out as we looked deeply into one another's eyes.

"Yeah, I'd say," she replied in the same airy way with a sheepish grin spread across her face. "We should really start doing that more often."

"I'm down if you are," I joked before changing to a more serious tone. "I really want it, too, by the way."

Santana's face took on a confused expression as she inquired, "Want what?"

"Something more with you," I clarified.

"You do?"

"Of course I do."

"Then," she began timidly, giving a slight pause before asking, "can we?"

"Only if you're okay with it."

"Definitely."

"Okay, I guess it's official, then," I responded as if it were the simplest thing in the world, causing her to quirk her brow.

"That easy, huh?"

"Yep, that easy," I reply with a nod before scooting down a little so I could bury my face into the crook of her neck. "Would you rather me make it harder?"

"No," she answered as she skated her fingers through my hair. "Easy is nice."

"Agreed," I mumbled as I allowed my exhaustion to take over and bring me down to a more peaceful state.

A comfortable silence developed between us as we each started making our way toward Dream World. Just before I drifted off to sleep, however, I could have sworn I heard the woman beside me release a calming sigh as she gently whispered, "I love you, Brittany Pierce."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Thank you once again for taking the time to read my story. Sorry it's been so long. __I'd also like to apologize in advance for any mistakes. I'll be continuing to edit and re-edit the chapter as I come across them._

_Anyways, I hope to see you all next time!_


	5. Rivalry

_For the vast majority of my awkward middle school years, I was seen as the little nerd who was off in her own world, which was pretty understandable if you ask me. I could see why it would seem strange for a thirteen-year-old to be more interested in reading non-fiction books about space and time than talking about boys or whatever else girls were supposed to be interested in at that age. That being said, it still did not excuse the fact that I was treated like a social outcast only because I didn't fit the norm._

_I still remember the giggling girls who would make snide remarks behind my back or the snickering boys who would joke about how they'd be more interested in me if I'd only get my head out of the clouds. Thankfully, their comments never really got to me. I'd simply brush it off and go on about my day as if nothing had happened. _

_What I didn't know at the time was that someone else was watching these encounters transpire, and the way they saw the other kids treating me did not sit well with them at all. One day, they had finally heard enough and decided to do something about it._

_At that time, Quinn Fabray was the most popular girl at school. It was pretty unanimously decided that you either wanted to _be_ her or be _with_ her. She had absolutely no reason to look in my direction, and yet she still managed to do so anyways. In fact, she even went as far as to venture completely out of her way to find me in the library, a place she would never be caught dead in under normal circumstances._

_"Hey, your name's Brittany, right?" she asked as if we hadn't been assigned to the same classes since we were eight._

_Despite the unusual request for name verification, I gently closed the book I was reading and answered, "Yep, that's me."_

_"Hi, I'm Quinn," she announced as her hand shot out for me to shake. "I don't think we've ever been formally introduced."_

_Staring suspiciously at the hand before me, I reasoned, "Well, there's not really a need for introductions when you already know of one another."_

_"True, but I still wanted to do it."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I want to be your friend," she responded as if it was completely normal to associate herself with people outside her social circle, which was most certainly not the case._

_I'll never forget the skeptical look I gave her as I admitted, "I don't think I'm really following. Why would you want to be my friend?"_

_Giving me her sincerest grin, she explained, "Because I think there's a lot more to you than everyone else in the lame school gives you credit for. Plus, I can't stand having to listen to all those idiots talk about you as if there is something wrong with you being smart. It's really freaking stupid, and I want to find a way to change it."_

_And that was how I became friends with Quinn Fabray. _

_Although we still belonged to different cliques, we managed to hang out on the weekends and talk between classes. Over time, everyone began to notice our budding friendship and started seeing me in a new light, causing the distasteful comments to all but cease. _

_Eventually, I would also come to find myself on the outskirts of the 'cool' crowd after joining the high school cheerleading squad, but even then, I still refused to give up on my research. I was far too driven to let anything get in my way._

_In those days, I felt unstoppable._

* * *

The following Thursday was my day off, and after busting my tail all week at work, I felt like I deserved to splurge a little on a not-so-healthy breakfast.

Placing an order at my favorite diner, I loaded Layla in the car and took off. It didn't take long for me to run in and grab the food, so we ended up making it back in no time. Once I had rolled up the window that Lay had been sticking her head out of, I grabbed the to-go container of food and exited the vehicle, allowing the dog to hop out before shutting the door behind her.

"I don't know about you, Layla Bug, but I think I'm going to have to crash on the couch as soon as I finish eating all this. I'm exhausted," I confessed as I walked up to the front door and shoved the key into the deadbolt, only to find that the door was already unlocked. "What the heck? I could have sworn I locked this thing."

Pulling the key back out, I slowly turned the handle and peaked inside. Everything still seemed to be the same way I left it, which only caused my uneasiness to grow. Creeping inside, I began looking around, but nothing unusual caught my eye. Summing it up to me simply forgetting to secure the lock, I closed the door only to reveal someone standing behind where it once was.

"Boo!"

I don't think I had ever scrambled backwards so fast in my life.

"Damn it, Quinn! What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled as I clutched a hand to my chest, gripping tightly onto the material of my shirt. "You know I have heart problems!"

The smile on her face abruptly dropped after realizing what she had done. "Oh, shit, sorry! My bad. I just thought it would be funny to catch you off guard for once," she quickly apologized before asking, "Are you okay?"

"Well, other than you successfully scaring the crap out of me, yes. What the heck are you doing here, anyways?"

"Oh, I was out on my morning jog and decided to drop by," Quinn informed with a smile before remembering that there was another reason for her visit. Shooting me a pointed look, she added, "You also haven't been returning my calls. _Again._"

Her unexpected answer made my brow furrow as I inquired, "And that gave you permission to break into my house? You're lucky I didn't drop my breakfast!"

"Well, to be fair, I didn't _break _in. I used the spare key," the other blonde defended as she held up the item in question.

"Oh yeah, because that is _so_ different," I replied with an exaggerated eye-roll and snatched it from her hand.

"Um, I'm sorry, but maybe you should have thought about that before you told me where it was hidden."

Placing the food and key on the coffee table, I groaned, "Seriously, Q? The only reason I even told you was so you could take care of Layla while I was out of town that one time."

"Details," she nonchalantly bushed of with a few flicks of her wrist as she walked over to sit on my couch. "Anyways, you can only catch a voicemail for so long before you finally take matters into your own hands. Just saying. "

"Okay, so what do you want to talk about?"

Giving her shoulders a slight shrug, she confessed, "Nothing in particular. I honestly just want to sit here and catch up with my best friend. We haven't really talked in a while, and I kind of miss you."

Her response made me feel a little guilty. To be honest, we had barely spoken to one another since San and I started dating. Between work and hanging out with San, I really hadn't possessed the time or energy to do much of anything else. Taking a seat next to the blonde, I gave her an apologetic look. "I know, Quinn. I'm sorry. I promise I'm going to do my best to not let us go this long again without talking."

"Okay, but I hope you know I'm going to hold you to that," the woman joked, letting me know that everything was alright between us.

"Yeah, I guessed that," I chuckled. "So, how have you been?"

"Good. What about you? Anything new?"

"Not really, but I'm sure you'll be happy to know that Santana invited Layla and I over for dinner this past Saturday. We finally managed to introduce the pups."

"Oo, things must be getting serious," the woman teased with laugh, which only lead to me wanting to clarify the situation.

"Well, actually, we're sort of girlfriends now, so yeah, they kind of are."

"What? Since when?" Quinn suddenly shrieked, causing me to flinch a little.

"Um, Saturday night after dinner."

"And you are just now telling me?" she rebuked with a tense expression.

"It's not that I did it intentionally. Work has just been kicking my butt this week, and when I wasn't there, I was at home trying to rest up for the next day."

Her face slowly began to soften as I gave my explanation, hinting that she understood where I was coming from. Dropping the issue, she inquired, "So, does this mean you two will be spending Thanksgiving together?"

"No, our families plan to be celebrating at the same time this year, so we agreed that it would be best to celebrate separately this time around and hopefully spend Christmas together."

"Yeah, that's understandable. Speaking of which, it's also getting to be that time of the year again. Have you called to schedule an appointment yet?"

Already knowing what she was referring to, I replied, "Yeah, I called a couple of weeks ago. They have me down for December nineteenth."

"Does Santana know yet?"

"No."

Narrowing her eyes slightly, she asked, "Are you _planning_ on telling her?"

"Yeah, but not until after my checkup," I reluctantly answered.

"Brittany Susan Peirce, you better be lying to me," Quinn warned with a threatening glare.

"No, I'm not," I immediately refuted as I held my ground.

"She'd want to know."

"I know, and that's why I can't say anything yet. If I tell her, she'll want to be there with me, and I can't put her through that. Not yet," I explained sadly before regretfully adding, "I promised her that I was okay."

I watched as Quinn visibly ground her teeth at my response. "Brittany, why in the world did you do that? You know just as well as I do that _that _is not completely true."

"Yes it is! I'm as healthy as an ox," I argued, though I wasn't quite sure who I was trying to convince more; me or Quinn.

Letting out a long sigh, Quinn tried to reason, "Sure, physically, but come on, Britt. We both know this time of year is still hard for you."

"Shut up."

"I just-"

"I said _shut up_," I snapped, not allowing her to explain.

Letting her shoulders to slump in defeat, she begged, "Please tell me you're at least sleeping." When an answer never came, she brought a hand up to her face and pinched the bridge of her nose between her thumb and index finger. "Brittany-"

"Leave it," I growled out, cutting her off once more.

Realizing she wasn't going to get anywhere with me, she rolled her eyes and decided to forgo pressing the issue further. "Fine, it's your life, but please take care of yourself, B. You're the closest thing I've ever had to a sister," she pled, her voice wavering towards the end. Quickly trying to change topics, she added, "Anyways, I probably need to get going. Puck's been home alone all morning, so there's no telling what kind of state the house'll be in by the time I get there. You're still coming over to watch the game with us in a couple of weeks, right?"

Grateful for our conversation's redirection, I informed, "Of course. You know I never miss it."

"Good because I've already invited Santana, and I really need another Buckeye to help even out the smack talk."

"I know, right? I _just_ found out she was a U-M fan last weekend. And here I was thinking she was damn near perfect," I joked with the other blonde to help lighten the mood.

"Yeah, well we all have our flaws. Anyways, I really do need to get going. I _better_ talk to you soon," she jokingly threatened as she stood to leave.

Pushing myself up from the couch, I replied, "Yes, ma'am. Hope you find the house still in one piece."

"Doubtful, but here's for hoping," she chuckled as she started making her way towards the front door, calling out over her shoulder, "See ya, B."

"Wait, Q," I called out just as she opened the front door. Once she was looking back at me, I asked, "We're still okay, right?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know, after our disagreement and stuff."

The woman instantly released her grip on the door handle and walked over to wrap me up in a tight embrace, "Of course, Britt. I just worry about you sometimes."

"I know. I'm sorry."

"You don't have to be sorry. Just please reconsider telling her. She'd really want to know."

"I'll think about it."

"That's all I could hope for," she said, releasing her hold. Allowing a warm smile to overcome her face, she gave my shoulder a shove and admitted, "I still can't believe my blind date plan actually worked."

"Okay, no, not this again. You're gone. Bye," I sputtered as I began pushing her towards the door, slamming it shut once she was outside. Looking down, I saw Layla sitting a few feet away with an unimpressed look on her face. "What? It's not my fault she keeps bringing it up. Anyways, let's get you some breakfast while I reheat my food and find a new hiding spot for the spare key."

That was enough to change the dog's tune. As soon as she heard the prospect of getting food, she completely forgot about me forcing Quinn out of the house and dashed over to the kitchen to go wait by her food bowl.

_Works every time._

* * *

It wasn't until the early evening that I received a text from Santana letting me know that she was on her way over from work. About ten minutes later, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in!" I shouted out from my spot on the couch. After hearing the door open and close, I looked over my shoulder to my girlfriend putting down her things and greeted, "Hey, Stranger. How was your day?"

"Good. How about yours?" she asked, leaning down to give me a quick peck before removing her jacket.

"Same. The only thing that really happened was Quinn randomly dropping by. I swear that girl is about a step away from creeper status, by the way," I replied as I watched her walk around the couch and slide down onto my lap.

Shuffling a bit to get comfortable, she wrapped an arm around my shoulder and inquired, "How so?

"Well, I went out to get breakfast from the Sunny Side Diner and came back to find her standing in my living room."

"What? Why?" she questioned with a furrowed brow.

"Because she said that she missed me, which I completely understand, but if I've learned one thing from today, it is to _not_ tell Quinn where I keep the spare key. Thankfully, I now have it in a place she'll _never _find it."

"Well, that's good. It's not in an obvious place like under the _Welcome_ mat, right?"

I could almost feel the color drain from my face. "How did you know that? Are you psychic?"

"What? No, Britt. That's just one of the most common places people hide their spare key."

"Well, that's just great. Now I have to find a new hiding spot," I grumbled before remembering another part of my earlier conversation with Quinn. "Oh, and she also mentioned inviting you to watch the big game in a few weeks."

"Yep, she sure did. I can't wait."

"Yeah, I bet you're going to _love_ watching my boys kick your team's ass," I teased with a cheeky smirk.

"Oh, yeah? You wanna bet on that?"

Without even having to think about it, I answered, "Definitely!"

"Okay, fine. The loser has to kiss the winner no matter how mad they are about their team losing."

That statement instantly made my eyebrows scrunch up in confusion. "What? That's not even fair. It's, like, a win-win for both of us."

"Yeah, and your problem is?" she teased with a sly grin.

"Hm, you have a point there, but I think we should also have some other kind of bet where there is a definitive loser."

After taking a moment to think it over, her eyes suddenly lit up with the idea of a prospective bet. "Alright, I got it!" she exclaimed. As soon as she described her proposal, I couldn't help but get excited. _This_ was definitely going to be interesting. Once I had agreed to her plan, she also added, "Okay, and whoever loses gets to wear the opposing team's colors during the game," Santana announced with a devilish glint in her eyes.

Never to be one to back down from a challenge, I quickly nodded my head and replied, "You are so on, Babe."

* * *

It was game day for all of us Ohio State and University of Michigan fans, and with a spark of excitement in the air, Santana and I headed over to the Puckerman-Fabray household to watch the game. Once we got there, we parked the car and and made our way up the drive to ring the doorbell.

The wooden barrier finally cracked open after a few seconds of waiting to reveal a smiling Quinn, who was completely decked out in scarlet and gray. "Hey, guys. I'm glad you could come," Quinn greeted as she pulled the brunette beside me into a tight embrace. Releasing San, she turned to give me a hug, too, but then suddenly jerked back and growled, "Brittany, what in the absolute hell are you wearing?"

Glancing down at the University of Michigan hoodie Santana had given me to wear, I grumbled, "I lost a bet."

"A bet? What kind of bet?" she queried with a skeptical glare.

Of course, that was the moment Santana decided to speak up, saying, "We had a bet to see who could go the longest without kissing the other, and we can obviously see who lost."

Quinn instantly snapped her gaze back at me with a scowl. "Brittany!"

"What? I couldn't help it. It was a trap!" I defended.

"Yeah? How so?" the other blonde challenged.

I hastily pointed at Santana, explaining, "She bought me flowers, and I kissed her without thinking about it because I thought she was just being sweet. Little did I know that she was _actually_ trying to butter me up so she could win our bet."

"Britt, no I wasn't. That was just another strange coincidence," Santana blatantly lied as she tried to place her hand on the small of my back, but I stepped away before she could even touch me.

"Just like those stupid shorts, San? I know you better than that. I'm the one who called you out for belonging to the Dark Side, remember?" I stated in an accusing tone.

Giving a slight shrug, she smugly admitted, "Guilty as charged."

"I hate you," I muttered under my breath just loud enough for her to hear.

"Liar, liar, pants on fire," Santana singsonged as she reached over to poke me in the side a couple of times.

Fighting the urge to smile, I pushed her hands away and begrudgingly admitted, "Fine, you're right. I'm mad at you, but you're still so hot."

"Okay, you two seriously need to stop," Quinn groaned from the doorway, reminding us that we were not alone.

"You can blame yourself for that one, Cupid," Santana shot back with a smirk as she wrapped her arms around me and reached up on her tip-toes to press a quick peck to my cheek, clearly trying to antagonize the situation.

Ignoring her comment, Quinn looked back at me with a disappointed expression. "Britt, I thought you were going to help me cheer for our team."

"I am, Quinn. See," I assured as I lifted up the hoodie to reveal an OSU shirt. "You know I'm going to root for our boys no matter what kind of lame clothing I have to wear."

The other blonde was clearly not impressed, rolling her eyes as she turned to leave us standing on the porch. Following her lead, we each made our way into the den, where Puck was already watching the pregame show.

"Hey, Puckie! " I called out to gain his attention. Tearing his eyes away from the screen, he glanced over in our direction and smiled.

"Well if it isn't our new favorite couple," Puck teased as he made his way over to wrap us both up in a bear hug.

"Not today, they're not!" Quinn objected from the couch, causing her boyfriend to laugh.

Releasing his hold, he assured, "She's just mad because you're not showing off your team's colors. Anyways, are you ready to get your ass handed to you?"

"Oh, whatever, Puck. You're so full of crap," I remarked with a complacent grin.

"Hey, don't forget we lead on overall wins."

Laughing at his poor attempt at smack talk, I retorted, "And _you_ don't forget that OSU still remains undefeated while U of M has lost three of their last four games."

"Well, it wouldn't be the first time we ruined an undefeated season for OSU. Plus, I'd say we're due for another win, just like how OSU is due for a loss."

"Dream on, Puckster. It ain't gonna happen."

"Yeah, we'll see about that," the man playfully quipped as he motioned for us to take a seat.

Refusing to let me sit next to her, I was forced all the way to the other side of the couch opposite Quinn, who was still upset about my 'choice' of clothing. Over the next half hour, we made idle chit-chat while frequently checking the television to see how close it was to kick off, only pausing the conversation when we noticed our teams lining up for the opening punt.

The first quarter of the game was pretty neck and neck with U of M edging ahead just to have OSU come behind them and tie up the score. Michigan was unfortunately the first one to score just inside the second quarter, causing Quinn and I to release a loud groan while the two Wolverine fans cheered and exchanged high-fives.

By the time the pair had settled down, the Michigan punter was already running forward to kick the ball. We watched intently as the player made the punt, sending the football soaring once again over to the other end of the field. OSU's Dontre Wilson was the one to make the catch at about the one yard line. Running forward, he ended up getting to about the fifteen before he was inevitably stopped.

That's when it all went downhill.

Suddenly, we noticed both teams' players pushing and shoving one another. Some even started throwing punches. Before we knew it, a full on brawl had broken out.

"Are you freaking kidding me?" I exasperatedly questioned as I pressed my face into my hands, leaning my elbows down into the tops of my thighs to help support my weight.

Bringing my head up slightly to look just over the tips of my fingers, I glared at the screen as I watched players trying to either instigate the fight or hold back teammates while the refs started throwing bright yellow penalty flags in the air. Even the coaches were getting involved as they stormed over to shove their players back towards their respective sidelines. Once everything had somewhat settled, one of the officials came over the speaker system to eject a Michigan player and two Ohio State players from the game.

There was a tense moment of silence that followed the call, mostly due to our extreme disappointment with the situation. The first one to speak was of course Puck, who tried to break the tension by joking, "Boy, that escalated quickly."

Ignoring the reference, I continued to watch on with my chin resting in the palm of my hands and my jaw clenched in frustration. Santana must have noticed my vexation with the situation at some point because she abruptly reached over to comfortingly rub my back, causing me to jolt slightly before realizing it was just her.

"Sorry, I just really hate violence," I quietly admitted, which caused her to send me an understanding look in return.

"I know, B. It's okay."

Pushing myself back into an upright position, I placed a hand on top of her leg to help keep my balance as I leaned over to press a grateful kiss to the side of her head and allowed a small smile to pull at my lips. Feeling her fingers lace with mine, I gave her temple one more quick peck, whispering a quiet _thank you _into her ear before returning my attention to the television screen.

We remained like that for most of the rest of the game, which ended up going down to the wire as Michigan brought themselves one point behind us with thirty-two seconds left on the clock. The score was forty-two to forty-one, and tensions where high as we watched the Michigan field goal kicker step away from the field, showing that the Wolverines were about to attempt the two-point conversion that could win them the game.

Everyone waited with bated breath as Michigan's quarterback, Devin Gardner, took his stance behind the offensive line. Snapping the ball, he reared back and threw the it to one of his teammates. Just as the receiver was about to catch it, however, a member of the opposing team darted out in front of him to intercept the ball.

"Yes! YES!" Quinn and I screamed as we jumped to our feet in excitement while the other two remained completely silent. Ohio State was now almost guaranteed to win. Holding our breaths, we watched as the Buckeyes gained possession of the ball after a brief onside kick. Lining up for the final play, Braxton Miller motioned for the center to hike the ball and immediately took a knee, bringing an official end to the game.

"Oh my gosh, we just freaking won!" I cheered as I ripped the Michigan hoodie off and threw it to the ground, finally being free of the bet. Turning to Quinn, I excitedly threw my hands up in the air as she quickly wrapped her arms around my torso and unsteadily picked me up before roughly setting me back down on the ground. We continued carrying on in celebration for another minute or two before I realized that I still had some unfinished business to attend to.

Looking back at San, I saw her just sitting there on the couch with a silly grin on her face. She knew what was coming.

"Well, it looks like it's time for the second part of our bet," I informed as I eagerly stepped in front of her, crouching down slightly with my hands on my knees so that I was at eye-level with her.

"Oh gosh, not another one!" Quinn teased from somewhere behind me.

Glancing back at her, I asked, "Quinn, how long have you known us? I'm competitive. She's competitive. This should _not_ be a surprise to you."

"Whatever. What is the prize for winning the bet anyways? Loser does the winner's laundry for a month or something?"

"Nope, even better," I replied as I turned back to face Santana with a cheesy grin as I allow her to pull me forward into a heated kiss.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hello, everyone. __Thank you so very much for sticking with me through this chapter. _

_I have always been a huge football fan, so I felt that I just had to somehow tie OSU and Michigan's rivalry into the story, especially with this year's college football season just now kicking off. Originally, the game was not going to be as detailed, but after reading about last year's events, I decided to make it based off that game and actually sat down to watch it so I could accurately depict what transpired._

_That being said, _I would like to mention that I personally enjoyed writing this chapter, but I can completely understand why anyone else might not have particularly liked it, especially if you have no prior knowledge of American football.__

_Regardless, I had fun with this one, and I really hope you did, too, on some level._

_Anyways, thank you again, and I hope to see you all next time!_

_P.S.: I would also like to mention that I have gone back to each of the old chapters and rechecked them for grammar, punctuation, and continuity errors. If you had previously noticed any of these mistakes, I am sorry for somehow missing them during the other 3,000 times I have edited these chapters. I'm not quite sure what happened, but yeah... Hopefully most of those mistakes have now been fixed.__ ;)_


	6. Sleepless Nights

_They say everything becomes clearer in hindsight. Then again, they also say the only source of knowledge is through experience, so I suppose it really took living through it for me to be able to completely understand what having mitral valve regurgitation meant. Now that I have, the warning signs leading up to my surgery are as clear as day._

_The first time I had a hint that something was wrong was midway through a Cheerios practice sometime towards the end of my junior year. In all honesty, the first signs weren't a major change from normal, just a little shortness of breath after exercising. At the time, I just figured it was because I was a little out of shape. Spring had just sprung, bringing more rigorous workouts with it, so it made perfect sense to me that I would be left huffing by the time we were done._

_Unfortunately, things only got worse over the next eight months._

_By the following November, I couldn't walk up a flight of steps without getting winded. __I was also sleeping a lot more than normal. On weekends, I would feel the need to take naps halfway through the day, and falling asleep during class was increasingly becoming an issue. _

_In my defense, I was an extremely active member of my class at that time, which made all the symptoms not seem too surprising. I was the class president, co-head cheerleader, and lead choreographer for both the Cheerios and Glee club. On top of all the school stuff, I was also participating in dance classes several times a week. Needless to say, I had a lot on my plate, which made everything I had been experiencing only seem natural._

_Then, there was my collapse. The big neon light that proved without a doubt that something was wrong._

_It was a chilly mid-December morning, and everything was proceeding just like any other day. I had arrived early at the dance studio to go over the choreography for our upcoming winter showcase. __As the day progressed, I started to notice my heart racing, but that's normal while dancing, right? Figuring it was nothing to worry about, I just ignored it, but it continued to persistently demand my attention, which started to worry me. __Suddenly, I stopped mid-routine among the sea of my peers, fighting to breathe as I clutched a hand to my chest and held on for dear life. The entire room started spinning as I noticed the other dancers around me stopped to find out what was wrong._

_The next thing I knew, I was stumbling to the floor and blacked out._

* * *

I had awoken in a cold sweat that morning, which really wasn't anything new after going through a similar progression the past several weeks. Every night, I would force myself to fall asleep, relive the events leading up to my collapse, and then jolt awake, only to find out that I still had hours to go before I had to get up for work.

It was always the same routine. At least, it was for this time of year.

December always had a way of bringing these nightmares in with the cold, much to my dismay. I'm sure it goes without saying that I didn't necessarily enjoy having to go through this same cycle every single year. If anything, I absolutely hated it, but there wasn't much I could do to stop it. Over time, I just learned to bear with it until the nightmares had passed.

That was my one and only solution.

"Brittany, uh, Spears?" I heard someone suddenly call out, drawing me out of my thoughts. Looking over to the pick-up counter, I noticed the barista glancing around the spacious seating area with a confused but polite smile.

"Actually, it's Brittany S. Pierce, but thank you," I corrected with a grin of my own as I stood up to make my way towards him.

"Oh, sorry about that. Cassie likes making jokes out of people's names sometimes," the boy informed as he handed over the drink, tipping his head towards the girl behind the register who was focused on taking another person's order.

"Oh, don't even worry about it. I promise this is _not_ the first time someone has made the connection. Anyways, thanks for the coffee!" I reply, raising the cup up slightly in a gesture of appreciation.

Giving a slight nod of his head, he returned the sentiment by responding, "No problem. Hope to see you again!"

Having received what I came for, I turned to exit the establishment. Stepping out into the chilly morning air, I scrunched up my shoulders and pulled the collar of my jacket tighter around my neck to hopefully block out some of the cold. My plan of semi-bundling up was foiled, however, once I heard my cellphone start to ring.

Answering the call, I greeted, "Hey, Mom. What's up?"

"Nothing much. Your father and I just started making brunch. You're still coming over, right?"

I couldn't help but release a giggle as I rolled my eyes at the query. "Mom, you've already asked me this a hundred times. _Yes,_ I am _still _coming over. I'm actually on my way right now."

"Oh, okay, so you'll be here in about ten?"

"Well, I'm coming straight over from work, so it will probably be more like fifteen minutes."

"Alright, we'll see you then, Sweetheart. Drive safe."

"Always do," I replied with a slight smirk before hanging up. By this time, I had crossed the small parking lot and made it to my car, getting in so I could continue the trip to my parents' house.

The drive turned out shorter than expected, with me making it just a minute or two past the ten minute mark. Once I had successfully parked the vehicle, I grabbed my tall latte and headed towards the front door. Not needing much of an introduction, I just walked right in and went to the kitchen where I knew I could find my parents.

"Hey, Mom and Dad," I greeted as soon as I spotted them still preparing our food. Turning around from his spot by the stove, my dad gave me a wide grin. Not wanting him to have to leave his posted, I quickly crossed the room and allowed him to wrap me up in a one-armed hug as he continued to stir the pan of scrambled eggs with the spatula in his hand.

"Hey, Honey. How have you been?" he questioned before pressing a firm kiss to the top of my head.

"I'm good. Tired, but good," I answer honestly as he released his arm from around me. Suddenly, I noticed his eyes drift down to the cup in my hand. He didn't have to say anything for me to know what he was thinking. His inquisitive expression said it all. Feeling the need to clarify why I was suddenly drinking a beverage he and my mother both knew I had completely sworn off, I explained, "I was dragging a bit this morning, so I decided to get some coffee to help me get through the rest of the day. Don't worry, this is the smallest size they had available."

Despite my verbal affirmation, we both ended up entering a silent conversation regarding whether or not everything was really alright. He was expressing his concerns because he knew how much I hated caffeine's effect on my body, especially the way it made my heart race, but I quickly assured him that I would be okay. This was just a one-time thing.

Realizing that we had both finished our quiet exchange, my mom inquired, "So, what is the elusive Santana up to today?"

"Oh, just doing some work on a case. She's actually supposed to be coming over sometime this afternoon."

"I still cannot believe you haven't brought her by yet. It would be nice to meet the girl who's making my daughter so happy," she teased with a sarcastic smirk. She knew just as well as I did that our schedules just haven't worked out the way we would have liked them to. There was one thing I now had, however, that could at least hold her over for the time being.

"Well, I don't know how much this will help, but Quinn actually took a picture of us after the game this past weekend and sent it to me," I offer as I pulled out my phone. Bringing up my photo album, I tapped on the picture I was looking for and handed the device over to the other woman.

"Oh my goodness! She's absolutely gorgeous!" she gushed as she allowed my father to see the photo of San sitting sideways on my lap with my arms securely wrapped around her waist; both of us sporting wide grins as we looked up into the camera.

"Tell me about it," I commented with a lovesick grin. There was no need to hide it. Everyone already knew I was completely smitten. "Anyways, I'm going to go find Tubbs while you guys finish up the breakfast burritos."

"Alright, I'll come up and let you know when we're through. It should only take another minute or two," Mom responded as she handed the device back to me. "He's probably up in your room somewhere, if that helps."

"Okay, thanks," I reply as I shove the phone into my pocket. Leaving them to their work, I made my way upstairs and to my old room. Everything was just as I left it with old pictures lining the walls and shelves packed with dance trophies. As always, I tried not to focus on the latter. Sometimes, it just hurt too much to remember something that used to bring me so much joy.

Not giving the subject any more thought, I glanced over to the bed to find my cat curled up into a ball. "Hey, Lord Tubbington," I called out to the slumbering feline. Realizing my presence, the cat snapped his head up and made a little chirping sound. Actually, it was more like a squawk, but same difference.

Setting the latte down on the dresser, I padded across the room to lie down next to him. Once I was comfortable, I began running my hand from the top of his head to the tip of this tail, saying, "I see you're still pretty intent on claiming this room as your own. You're lucky I don't care or else you'd be locked out of here for good."

L.T. must not have found my teasing very amusing because he release a big yawn and laid his head back down on the mattress to get back to his nap.

Smiling a little at his relaxed form, I joked, "Well, I'm glad at least one of us is sleeping."

"You know, you should probably take him with you when you leave today. He always likes to being over at your place around this time of year so he can keep an eye on you and make sure you're okay," my mother's voice called out from somewhere behind me.

Rolling over to face her, I sat up and replied, "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Mom, but I'm pretty sure he doesn't really care all that much."

"You haven't seen him lately, Britt," the woman insisted. "For the past few days, he's been really antsy and pacing all over the house. He's also slept in here every night for the past two weeks, which is weird since he usually prefers your father's recliner."

"Okay, well, we'll see how he reacts when I go to leave and just take it from there. He's always been pretty good about letting me know when he wants to come over."

Sending me a nod in agreement, the woman added, "The food is ready, by the way."

"Awesome! I'm starving," I responded with a broad grin as I pushed myself up from the bed, following my mother back down the stairs to eat.

I ended up staying there for the next several hours until finally announcing that it was time for me to go. Giving them each a farewell hug, I promised that I would try my best to bring Santana by soon to meet them and turned to head out. Just as I was about to open the door, however, I felt something rub up against my leg.

Shifting my gaze to the floor below, I found Lord Tubbington weaving his way between my legs as he rubbed up against their sides. He must have grown impatient of my lack of response at some point because he soon stood up on his hind legs so he paw at my thigh.

"What is it, Tubbs?" I asked as I stared down at the feline demanding my attention. He let out another croaking noise, which didn't really help explain much. L.T. must have realized that he was going to have to spell it out for me because before I knew it, he was dashing off into our washroom. Following his lead, I walk into the room to find him trying to open the door to his kennel with his paw.

"See, I told you he wanted to go with you," my mother chuckled as soon as she saw what he was doing.

I couldn't help but smile at the cat's persistence as he continued his attempts to pry open the barrier. Feeling the need to help him out, I stepped forward and released the latch that was holding it closed. Lord Tubbington instantly darted inside as soon as it was open, which made me laugh.

"Wow, I've never seen you this excited to come over before. Did you and that calico have a falling out?" I joked as I re-secured the lock on the carrier door.

Little did I know what I would soon find my answer, which was apparently _no_ seeing as how the cat in question was waiting by the front door whenever I walked out with Tubbs in hand. I allowed the pair to exchange a series of meows just in case he needed to tell her where he was going before loading him into the passenger seat of my car. Once we were out of the driveway, I glanced over at the large cat beside me and asked, "Did you get to tell your girlfriend _good-bye_, Tubbs?"

The cat let out a small chirp, which I suppose was meant to be a _yes_.

* * *

Santana showed up about an hour later. By that time, I had already tidied up the house and gotten L.T. all set up for his stay, however long that would be. Hearing a knock at the door, I put down the food and water bowl I had prepared for him and walked over to the front door. After checking the peephole, I opened the door and greeted, "Hey, Babe!"

"Hey, yourself," she returned as she rose up on the tips of her toes to give me a small peck. "How was brunch with the fam?"

"It was good. They asked about you."

_"Oh, did they?" _the brunette joked with a smirk. I was about to confirm the response when I suddenly heard a muffled thump. Looking over, I spotted Lord Tubbington getting ready to lay down on the couch.

"Um, Britt? Did you get a cat?" Santana asked, drawing my attention back towards her.

"No, that's Lord Tubbington."

"I thought you said he live with your parents," she recalled with a confused look.

"He does, but he really wanted to come with me this time so I brought him along."

"Oh, okay," she answered without a second thought. Walking over to the couch, she sat down next to the feline, who gave her an unsure look. "Hi, Lord Tubbington," she greeted as she held out her hand to let him smell. "It's nice to finally meet you." L.T. still maintained his hesitant gaze but allowed her to gently pet his head despite his uneasiness. "I don't think he likes me very much," Santana noted as she continued to slowly stroke the cat.

"Actually, you're doing better than most people. He almost tore Rachel to pieces the first time he met her."

"Well, I bet she deserved it. Huh, Lord Tubbington?" Santana joked as she got a little braver and scratched him behind the ear.

Giggling at the accuracy of her statement, I responded, "Actually, she kind of did. She had never really been around a cat before so she just walked up without giving him time to get to know her and ended up paying the price. She still doesn't really step foot near him to this day." At the time, it wasn't very funny, but now looking back, I can't help but share in Santana's laughter as she pictured the encounter in her head.

"Yep, that definitely sounds like something Berry would do."

Between chuckles I clarified, "In her defense, we were only eleven, and it was the first time we had ever hung out at my house. She didn't know about his trust issues. Anyways, you ready to go pick up some dinner?"

"Yeah, let's go," she replied, giving Lord Tubbington one more scratch under his chin before standing back up.

She ended up staying until the early morning, and at that point, I just assumed letting her stay over. It wasn't until after she agreed to my proposal that I remembered why I had recently avoided spending the night with San. She still didn't know about my nightmares nor did I know how to tell her about them on such short notice. As we got ready for bed, I just prayed that tonight would be one of the nights I could elude my past.

Unfortunately, we don't always get what we want.

* * *

I suddenly awoke with a start, causing me to shoot into an upright position and immediately throw a hand over my chest to feel the hard pulsations of my heart. Though the beats were sporadic due to the nightmare, they were still there. That realization was enough to cause tears to start prickling at my eyes, just as they did every night that I was forced to go through this all over again.

Feeling the wet streaks making their way down my face, I brought the hand that wasn't glued to my chest up to cover my eyes. Hearing a quiet sob escape my lips, I slowly clutched the material of the shirt I was wearing in my hand to help keep me grounded to reality.

That's when I heard the faint sound of footsteps just outside the bedroom.

Sliding my fingers apart slightly, I peeked through the cracks to find Santana standing in the doorway with a glass of water in her hand, frozen in place with wide eyes staring right back at me. I'm sure this was not what she expected to see when she walked back into the room.

"Britt?" I heard her quietly call out to me, as if she was afraid to say anything louder than a whisper. "What's wrong?" she tentatively asked. I could tell by the look on her face that even in the dim lighting she could see how visibly shaken I was as my quivering hand grasped onto my shirt with all its strength.

My mind must have somehow gotten away from me because the next thing I knew, I was hearing the sound of the glass being placed on the small table beside the bed. Looking over, I discovered that she had made her way across the room and was preparing to slide back under the sheets.

As soon as she had scooted over to my side of the bed, she pulled me into her arms. "It's okay, Britt. You're going to be okay."

"Nightmare. I-I had a nightmare," I stuttered out as my body continued to tremor uncontrollably. The last thing I wanted her to think was that I was having a heart attack or something.

"Shh, it's okay," she gently hushed me, sensing that I was in hysterics. "I understand. You don't have to talk about it right now, though. We can talk about it in the morning if that's what you need."

Realizing that she had given me a temporary out, I nodded my head and sat there for another minute before slowly sliding back down into a laying position. Once San was resting beside me, I allowed her to pull me back into her protective arms. We were both quiet for a while, aside from my quiet sniffles and the occasional whimper, when Santana suddenly spoke up.

"Would it help if I turn on the light or something?"

"No, I just really need you to hold me," I answered honestly while somehow managing to bring myself even further into her embrace.

"Alright," she responded simply as she started to gently run her hand up and down my back in attempt to help calm me down. Slowly but surely, I felt my body begin to release its tension and give into the tiredness it felt as I fell back asleep.

* * *

My second wake-up call came in the form of my phone ringing. Groggily rolling over, I reached out and blindly searched for the device without bothering to open my eyes. It was only when I found it that I was forced to crack them open so I could see who was trying to reach me.

"Mmm, Britt, who is that?" Santana mumbled as she buried her face into the space between my shoulder blades.

"Sorry, San. I forgot to tell you that I'm the doctor on call this week. I'm sure it's just someone calling to talk about my hospitalized cases. Go ahead and go back to sleep. I'm going to go into the other room and take this real quick," I informed, slowly pulling the covers off from around my body.

As soon as I moved to step out of bed, I felt the pair of arms wrapped around my waist tighten considerably, pulling me back into the woman they belong to as she said, "You can stay. I don't mind."

"Alright, if you say so," I lazily chuckled out just before covering myself back up and answering the call. "Hello? Hey, Kara... Good morning to you, too… Uh-huh… Mhmm… Okay, just keep her on those antibiotics, and we'll see where that gets us over the next few days… Alright, perfect. How's Banjo doing? …Oh, awesome. I'm glad that he's finally eating… Yeah, go ahead and give him another fourth can of food with some dry kibbles to nibble on if he wants. You can also put a note on his account to start the oral meds tomorrow morning… Alright, thanks… Yeah, see you tomorrow… Okay, bye."

Rolling back over, I pressed a gentle kiss to Santana's forehead. Pulling away, I stared at her for a long moment with a dopey grin plastered on my face until I heard her suddenly ask, "Are you feeling better?"

That's when the realization hit me that last night was not a dream. Feeling the smile slip away, I answered, "Yeah, San. I'm feeling a lot better. Sorry you had to see that, though."

"Britt, being girlfriends is supposed to mean that we are in a partnership. We're in this together, okay?" The brunette waited for me to give her a sign that I understood, which came in the form of a feeble nod, before continuing, "Now, do you want to talk about what happened?"

Releasing a sigh, I replied, "It was just a reoccurring dream that I've had to deal with for a while now. Nothing new."

"When did they start?" she asked timidly, not knowing my boundaries concerning the topic.

"About three weeks ago would be the short answer. The longer answer would be my senior year of high school. The same year I had my surgery." Knowing there was still one more thing to come clean about, I added, "They come back every year around this time, usually around the time that I schedule my yearly check-up exam."

"So, does that mean you've already scheduled it?" she inquired as she continued to stare at me with eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, I have."

Taking a moment to think over all the newly acquired information, she informed, "Well, I hope you know I'll be going with you to this appointment now. Last night was just too much for me to let you do this on your own."

"I know. I understand," I conceded without a fight.

"Good," she stated as she gently pushed me onto my back so she could lay her head on my chest, allowing the quiet but constant beating of my heart to lull her to sleep. It was only once her breathing had evened out that I allowed myself to follow, hoping that I would find nothing but sweet dreams while wrapped up in her arms.

And for the first time in days, I did.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Thank you, as always, for taking the time to read my chapters and leave feedback. __I also wanted to point out that I really like to drop small hints of what's to come, so if I make light of something that is not discussed in the current chapter you are reading, you can almost bet that it will be foreshadowing what's to come._

_Anyways, I think that's about it for now. Hope to see you all next time!_


	7. Reacquainted

_At seventeen-years-old, I was told that I would have to undergo open heart surgery to correct my insufficient mitral valve. __Up until that point, the heart valve had been unable to close all the way, allowing for the backflow of blood into the left atrium of my heart and causing a lack of oxygen to the rest of my body. As a result, I started experiencing the shortness of breath and lightheadedness I had first noticed in the months before._

_The doctors on my case almost immediately started a round of tests to see if they could locate the source of my heart problems upon my arrival at Lima Memorial Hospital. All the results, however, were inconclusive._

_The doctors knew that a great pressure had somehow been exerted on my heart, causing the chordae tendinae that once held the valve shut to become damaged, but they couldn't quite pinpoint how that came to be. It wasn't like I had high blood pressure or a history of diseases that could cause mitral regurgitation. On paper, I seemed to be as healthy as could be._

_And that's how I came to realize the real source of my problems._

_For the first time in my life, I started to regret the research I had done regarding time travel. I scorned myself for ever thinking I could move through time without any repercussions and lamented the fact that I had spent the vast majority of my life working on this one project. All the time and effort put into it just seemed like one big waste._

_And in that moment of weakness, I forgot the strikingly beautiful woman I had met during my travels. I failed to remember her charming smile and the warmth I had once found in her dark brown eyes. Without the memory of a promising future, I became a shell of my former self._

_Due to the nature of the procedure, the doctors at Lima Memorial Hospital eventually decided to have me transferred to the Cleveland Clinic to undergo the operation. Once we had gotten there, I was introduced to a new team of specialists who were more experienced in how to treat cases such as mine. One in particular would even go on to help remind me what it felt like to have hope._

_In the days proceeding my surgery, the main doctor on my case would occasionally drop by my room to see how I was recovering. Once I was strong enough to get up out of bed, he would join me on my slow, tedious walks around the hospital floor when time permitted. The man also took the time and sit down to just simply talk to me, especially about the doubts and fears that came as a result of my situation. Whenever those topics came up, he would assure me that things would get better; that__ I would go on to leave a long, healthy life._

_The best thing of all this, in my opinion, was the fact that I was being shown the exact same compassion that he showed to every single one of his other patients. He was a doctor who genuinely cared about the health and well-being of the people in his care__, and I unfortunately never had the chance to properly tell him just how much that really meant to me._

* * *

"Oh my gosh, I am so glad that is over," I sigh out in relief as we exited through the front doors of the doctor's office hand-in-hand.

"Me too. I think we can both rest a little easier now that all your results came back fine," Santana commented happily as she brought her free hand over to hold my arm just below the elbow, lightly running the pad of her thumb over the Band-Aid that covered the area they had drawn blood from. "Does it hurt?"

Shooting her a reassuring smile, I lightly shook my head and replied, "Nah, I barely even felt anything. It'll probably be a little sore afterwhile, but I'll manage." Leaning over, I buried a firm kiss into her hair out of thanks. San had been so supportive since learning about my past health issues and had gone above and beyond to make sure that I was okay throughout this entire ordeal.

"Okay, well are you sure you still wanting to go over to my parents' house tonight? I'm sure they'd understand if you were too tired to join them for dinner," the woman beside me asked for the hundredth time that day, not that that I minded. I knew that she was just concerned about me.

Squeezing her hand I answered, "Yes, of course I'm sure! I'm actually really excited to meet them, so don't worry about it."

"I know, I know. I just wish they would have changed the day of their cookout so you wouldn't have to be put through so much in one day. I mean, the build-up to your doctor's appointment was hard enough. Now, you'll also have to deal with my hardheaded dad, who is probably going to give you a hard time about dating me," she explained as we reached the point where we had to split up so we could go to our respective sides of the vehicle.

Sensing that she was in need of some assurance, I responded, "Honestly, it's okay. I don't mind answering his questions. I understand that he only wants the best for you, so I'll just have to do my best to show him that I can at least try my darnedest to be just that."

"You don't have to _try_ to be anything, Britt. You're already that and so much more," Santana stated as if it were the truest thing she had ever said. "I just don't want him to intimidate you."

"Hey, stop worrying so much. Everything is going to be okay, I promise," I tried to reaffirm, but she immediately opened her mouth to object. Deciding to cut her off before she even had the chance to speak her doubts, I added, "And if he doesn't like me, then I'll just have to find a way to change his mind."

Giving me a soft smile, she asserted, "Baby, it's impossible not to love you."

"Well, then it looks like we have nothing to worry about."

She stared at me in thought for a long moment before another smile finally started to pull at her lips. "Yeah, I guess you're right."

"See, I knew you'd see things my way," I teased, giving her a quick peck on the lips before turning around to head towards the driver's side of the vehicle. "Now, come on. I want to freshen up a bit before heading over there."

* * *

Santana was tense the entire trip over to her parent's house, only speaking up when it was time to give me the next set of directions. After parking my car in front of her house, I got out and walked around to meet her on the passenger's side only to find that she was still inside the vehicle.

Chuckling quietly to myself, I opened the door and held out my hand, silently reminding her that we were in this together. It took a minute for her to take me up on my offer, but once her hand was in mine, I gave her an encouraging grin and helped her out of her seat.

The the trip up the driveway was slow, which was mostly due to Santana moving at a snail's pace. She also didn't immediately knock upon our arrival at their doorstep. Instead, she just stared out in front of her as she tried to ready herself for whatever was about to transpire. Sensing that she was going to need another little push, I assured, "It's okay, San. Everything is going to be just fine."

"I know, B. I'm sorry," she apologized as she glanced over to me with a weak smile.

"No need to be sorry. I just wanted to remind you."

Her lips widened into a grin as she replied, "Thanks, Baby." Looking back at the door with newfound determination, she reached her hand out and rapped her knuckles against the wooden barrier.

We stood there in silence for a long moment when we heard the click of a deadbolt and turning of the knob. The door proceeded to swing open to reveal a tall, middle-aged gentleman, which I assumed to be Santana's father. Then, I actually took the time to take in his features and felt my entire body abruptly freeze.

"Hey, Pumpkin!" the man greeted as he rushed forward to pull Santana into a tight hug, completely oblivious to both me and my sudden revelation.

"Hey, Daddy!" she chuckled out in return. As soon as she was released from his grasp, Santana motioned towards me, causing the man to look over in my direction. His frame instantly stilled as soon as he caught sight of me, just as I had done a few seconds earlier. "Dad, I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Bri-" Santana tried to introduce, but she was quickly cut off by the sound of her father's voice.

"Brittany Pierce?" he asked curiously as his wide eyes stared right back into mine. My name was left hanging in the air as we both tried to grasp what was going on. All the while, I could see Santana nervously glancing between the two of us from out the corner of my eye.

"H-Hi, Doctor L-Lopez," I eventually managed to stutter out as I stared up at the man I hadn't seen in years.

"Oh my goodness, it really is you! Wow, never in a million years would I have guessed that you were Santana's Brittany," the man stated with a laugh as he gave me a pat on the back. "It's really good to see you, Kiddo. How have you been?"

"I-I'm good," I stammered, still a little caught off guard by the situation.

"Fantastic! So, I assume you still live in town."

"Yes, sir. I actually moved back right after colle-" I began, but my reply was suddenly cut off by Santana's voice.

"I'm sorry, but is anyone going to explain to me what the hell is going on? How do you two know each other?" she asked in a confused tone.

Taking it upon myself to tell her, I tentatively informed, "Your dad was my doctor after I got transferred to the Cleveland Clinic."

There was a slight pause before she spoke up again. "Wait a second. You mean he-" she faltered as she realized what I had just insinuated.

"Yeah, San. He was one of the doctors that performed my surgery," I finished for her, causing the brunette to shift her gaze to her father.

"Dad?" she questioned as she looked to him for further confirmation, only to find a terse nod from the man in response. "Oh my God," she gasped, covering her mouth as she continued to shift her gaze between us and process this new bit of knowledge. Suddenly, she tookd a few steps forward and wrapped her arms around the man, pulling him into a bone-crushing hug as she mummbled into his chest, "Thank you, Dad. Thank you so much."

"Oh, Mija, it's okay. Ms. Pierce here was the one who did most of the work. I was just there to help get her back on her feet," Dr. Lopez cooed as he ran a comforting hand up and down her back. "And by the looks of things, I'd say she's doing a pretty good job taking care of herself since the last time we met."

Pulling away slightly, Santana informed, "She has!" The brunette then quickly glanced over to me to make sure it was okay before letting him know, "We actually just got back from her yearly check-up. They gave her a clean bill of health."

"Well, that's great to hear," he told her as he shifted his focus to me. "I'm glad that it doesn't seem to be giving you as much trouble anymore."

"Thank you, sir."

"Not a problem," the man responded with a smile as he added, "Anyways, let's all go inside so I can introduce you to my wife." Ushering us into the house, Dr. Lopez lead us into the kitchen and motioned to a woman standing by the sink, slicing potatoes. "Brittany, this is my wife, Maribel. Hun, it turns out Brittany here was one of my patients, oh, about-" He turned back to me, asking, "How long ago was that? Six or seven years?"

"It was ten years this month, sir."

"Goodness! Has it really been that long?"

Letting out a light laugh, I answered, "Yes, sir. I suppose it has."

"Well, isn't that something. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, by the way, Brittany," Santana's mom replied. Taking a moment to wipe her hands on a kitchen towel, she made her way over to us with her hand held out for me to shake. "We've already heard a lot about you."

"Oh?" I questioned in surprise as reciprocated the gesture, briefly sending San a fleeting glance from out of the corner of my eye. "Mostly good things, I hope."

"_Only _good things, Dear," the woman stressed, causing in her daughter to shoot me a cheeky grin. "Oh, and I hope you like burgers and homemade fries."

"I sure do, Mrs. Lopez."

"Great, then why don't you come help me get everything on the grill while Mari and Santana finish prepping the fries," Santana's father insisted as he walked over to the refrigerator, glancing back over at me as he opened it to grab a drink. "Beer?" he asked, holding one out for me.

"Sure, thank you," I replied. Taking the beverage from his hand, I popped open the top and slipped on the hugger he had handed to me.

After grabbing a can of his own, he closed the appliance door and walked across the room towards the food sitting out on the stove. Momentarily shifting my gaze over to San, I noticed a surprised expression on her face. Silently asking if it was okay that I follow him, she slowly nodded while still maintaining the uncertain look in her eyes.

Apparently, this wasn't a thing that happened very often.

Once the man had the foil-covered pan in his hand, he turned back to give me a smile and nodded his head at the door I assumed led to the backyard, which I quickly opened for him to walk through. Shutting the door behind us, I continued to follow him towards the large propane grill located in the far corner of the spacious wooden deck.

"So, Brittany, I'm curious. Did you ever take up dance again?" Dr. Lopez suddenly asked before taking a long pull from his beer can and setting it down on the small lawn table next to the barbecue pit. "If I remember correctly, you were still considering it the last time we spoke."

Feeling my eyes widen in surprise, I answered, "Wow, you have a really impressive memory."

"Yeah, it's kind of what got me through med school," the man chuckled with a shrug.

"Ah, I see. Well, I guess we can't all be that lucky," I teased before answering his previous question. "And no, I never went back to dancing after my surgery."

"Aw, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's alright. After everything that happened, I just really needed to do something different, which was what originally led to me seeking an occupation in the medical field," I chuckled.

"Ah, yes, I forgot that Santana had said something about you being a veterinarian. How are you liking that?"

Unable to stop the wide grin spreading across my face I answered, "I love it. It's a really fulfilling profession."

"Yeah, I can certainly image why. A lot of stress can be put on doctors of any nature, but being able to help patients go on to live happy, productive lives is something that I've truly come to treasure during my time as a surgeon," Dr. Lopez stated, giving me a meaningful look before shifting his attention over to the pit. "Anyways, let's get this patties on the grill before the our girls come out here and start complaining," he joked as he lit the fire on the grill.

"Oh, I definitely don't want any of that. I'm not sure about your wife, but Santana does _not_ mess around when it comes to her food, especially when she's hungry."

Flashing me a bright smile, the man replied, "Well, you know what they say. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

* * *

The rest of the evening went off without a hitch.

Since we had opposing dominant hands, San and I sat to where we could hold hands under the table, just like we always did. As we ate our meal, the two older adults took turns sharing stories from Santana's childhood that were always sure to be followed by bouts of laughter, though San didn't seem to find them quite as funny as the rest of us.

The atmosphere turned out to be not at all what I had originally expected, much to my delight. It was carefree and relaxed and basically everything I could have ever hoped for. As the night continued to wind down, however, my girlfriend began to notice how tired I was starting to get and insisted that we head home so I could rest.

"It was really nice to see you again, Brittany," Santana's father stated after walking us to the door.

"You, too, Dr. Lopez," I replied as I reached out to shake his hand.

"Please, call me Carlos."

"Yes, sir."

"And enough of that _sir_ business. It makes me feel old," he added with a teasing grin. "Anyways, we'll hopefully be seeing you again soon. Maybe on Christmas Eve?"

"Actually, we're supposed to be spending Christmas Eve with her family, but we might be able to drop by on Christmas Day?" Santana replied, glancing over at me to make sure it was alright.

Nodding my head, I answered, "Christmas Day is good for me."

"Great, I'll be looking forward to seeing you then."

"You, too, Dr. Lo-Er, I mean, Carlos?" I returned with a quirked brow, my statement coming out as more of a question.

Letting out a boisterous round of laughter, the man gave me a firm pat on the back as he told his daughter, "I like this one. You need to keep her around."

Santana looks at him with a stunned but giddy grin as she replied, "That's the plan."

"Good," he responded before shifting his gaze back and forth between us. "Now, you two take care of yourselves, and I'll see you at Christmas!"

"Alright, see you then," Santana called over her shoulder as she slipped her hand into mine and began leading me back to the car.

* * *

The drive back to her house was mostly silent as Santana stared out the window. Despite her being in deep thought, I could tell that Santana was extremely pleased with how the evening played out, especially after she darted out of the car and started dragging me in the direction of my front porch. As soon as we were inside, I heard the door close behind me and instantly felt my back slam into the wall behind me. The only thing that registered after that was a pair of soft lips crashing against mine as I was pulled into a searing kiss, which I immediately responded to.

"Holy jamma lamma! This is so _hot_," I airily mumbled between labored breaths a minute or so later as Santana began hastily pressing a trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses across my face.

"I cannot_ fucking_ believe how easy that was. My dad never likes anyone I bring home," she whispered into my ear before her lips descended down my neck to nip at my pulse point.

"Yeah, but that's different. We already knew each other before tonight," I tried to reason, but she was having none of it as she pulled away to look me square in the eye.

"Don't care. It's still amazing," she responded, placing her hands firmly on my hips. "_You're_ still amazing."

"Whatever you say, Babe," I conceded as I reached my hands up to gently cup both sides of her face, tracing her jawline with my thumbs as I returned her steady gaze. We gradually leaned in for another kiss, but this time, it was no longer rough or rushed. Instead, our touches became softer, more careful.

Feeling the brunette start to fiddle with the hemline of my shirt, I helped her gently remove it and watched as her eyes scanned my upper body, suddenly stopping on in the middle of my bra-clad chest.

Tracing her line of sight, I noticed her gaze trained on my scar, just like the first time she had seen it. I remained completely still as she slowly brought her hand up towards the jagged line of skin; her finger tips hovering just above their destination as she looked up with a questioning gaze.

"It's okay, San," I quietly assured, swallowing dryly as I felt her slowly began tracing her fingers up and down the puckered skin. She stayed close like that for a long time, only stopping her movements to lean down to place a light, loving kiss to the scar.

"Come on, Babe. Let's get you to bed," she suggested as she looked back up at me with a devilish smirk and pulled away, slowly slipping off her own t-shirt as she continued to saunter backwards in the direction my bedroom.

* * *

I woke up the next morning to find my favorite sleeping beauty wrapped up in my arms; her messy head of hair tucked securely under my chin. Releasing a contented sigh, I gently pressed my nose and lips into the disheveled tresses as I pulled her further into me, trying to get as close as possible to the woman. Just as I was about to close my eyes and fall back asleep, I felt my girlfriend stir slightly before rolling over to face me.

"Sorry, did I wake you?" I asked, cracking my eyes open slightly to look down at her.

"Mmm," Santana grumbled as she scooted forward to bury her face into my chest.

"I'll take that as a yes," I tiredly chuckled as I brought my hand up to gently run my fingers through her hair. "You got some serious bedhead this morning, Babe."

"Mhmm, I kn'w."

"Don't worry. I find it super sexy," I teased, fighting back the smile threatening to break out across my face.

Pulling back, she snapped her eyes up to mine and narrowed them into a sleepy glare. "Liar," she rasped out, causing a loud laugh to erupt from my throat. Not finding my joke the least bit funny, she pushed herself away from me and moved to the other side of the bed.

"Aw, come on, San. I was just kidding. Come back," I plead as I reached out towards her.

"Nope," she simply threw over her shoulder as she flipped over to face away from me.

"But Baby-"

"Not listening."

"Santana," I whined as I crawled over to where she was, only to find the other woman covering her mouth with one of her hands as she shook with muffled laughter. "Hey, you jerk! That's not funny."

"Look who needs to lighten up now," she shot back as she sat up to kiss me. "All forgiven?"

"No," I answered sternly.

Pressing another peck to my lips, she asked, "What about now?"

"Nope," I refused in a voice that was just as firm as before.

And then there was another.

Feeling my shoulders start to relax, I responded, "Nu-uh."

And another.

"Nada," I stated with an exaggerated shake of my head.

And another.

"Empa_nada_," I giggled out, putting extra emphasis on the last half of the word.

Pulling away to look at me with a knowing smirk, Santana concluded, "Okay, now you're just being silly."

"What would ever give you that idea?" I inquired as I leaned down to press our lips together once more. "Hm, I think you're actually getting really close to being forgiven now. Maybe if we just keep-"

Already knowing my train of thought, Santana slid her hand behind my neck and pulled me into a searing kiss. We continued getting our mack on, as Santana liked to call it, until air became an issue. Pulling apart, we proceeded to gasp for air with content smiles spread broadly across our faces.

"I love you, Britt-Britt," the brunette proclaimed breathlessly, causing my heart to flutter for all the right reasons.

"I love you, too, San. More than I have ever loved anyone else in this world."

"Couldn't agree more," she replied with an affectionate grin. Suddenly, I watched her happy expression shifted to one of uneasiness. Sucking her bottom lip into her mouth, she momentarily worried it between her teeth before asking, "Hey, Britt?"

"Yeah?" I questioned in curiosity.

"I know this will sound really weird, but do you think I could maybe listen to your heart? You know, like with your stethoscope? I've always been really curious to hear what it sounds like."

Relaxing a bit now that I knew that's all she was worried about, I assured, "Yes, Babe. Of course you can. Do you want me to go get it?"

"No, I can do it," she said as she threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. "It's on the desk in your office, right?"

"Hopefully," I distractedly answered with a lopsided grin as I watched her pull the discarded top sheet off the end of the bed so she could cover herself up.

Realizing what I was doing, she rolled her eyes and replied, "Alright, I'll be right back."

As soon as she left the room, I flopped onto my back and began thinking about the previous night's activities. To be honest, I had always been secretly afraid of what would happen when we got to that point in our relationship.

Now, don't get me wrong. I had absolutely loved being able to share something like that with Santana and would never even dream of regretting it, but that didn't mean I wasn't scared. Why? Because she still had no idea about what I knew about our future, and when it did come time to tell her, I didn't want her to think I had been trying to take advantage of her or her trust. In fact, that was the absolute last thing I wanted.

"What's got you in such deep thought?" Santana suddenly asked, drawing me out of my thoughts.

Snapping my gaze over to her, I responded, "Oh, nothing. Just thinking."

"About?"

"Me and you," I answered truthfully, though I knew I would have to changed the subject fast to prevent her from asking questions. Giving her a smile, I inquired, "So, you ready?"

"Yeah, I think so," she responded as she slipped on the stethoscope and prepared herself for what she was about to experience.

"Uh, Babe," I suddenly called out.

"Yeah?"

"You have it on backwards," I chuckled, causing her to quickly reach up to flip the device around before replacing the earpieces into her ears.

Looking back over to me, she asked, "Better?"

"Much better. Now, come sit down so you can listen," I said as I patted the spot beside me.

Slowly, she slid onto the bed, awkwardly holding the chestpeice up in the air as if she were unsure what to do next.

Reaching up to grab her hand, I pulled it under the covers so I could bring the diaphragm of the stethoscope over to rest somewhere between my fifth and sixth rib near my left mid-clavicular line. "How's that? Do you hear it?"

"Mhmm," she hummed out in concentration, adjusting it slightly to so she could listen to it better.

"You hear how it's kind of like a _lub-dub_ sound?" Watching her nod in response, I continued, "What you're hearing is my left AV valve, also known as the mitral valve. The _lub_ sound is from the valve closing while the _dub_ sound means it's opened. Back before my surgery, the doctors could also hear a loud swishing noise between them, which is how they found out about my murmur."

"So, no swishing means it's completely closed?"

"Well, there may be a little leakage, but it definitely is no where near what it was before."

San looked up at me for the first time since my little lesson began, staring at me for a long moment as she continued to listen to the repetitious sounds coming from inside my chest. I just continued to lay there with a small smile, letting her observe the beating of my heart without anymore interruptions. Then, without moving her hand, Santana slowly leaned down to pull me into a loving kiss that I couldn't help but reciprocate.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hello there! __Thank you all for taking the time to read this update. To be honest, I really loved writing this chapter, despite its imperfections. I especially loved getting to take out my physiology book so I could get all the heart stuff right. Haha._

_Anyways, I hope to see you all next time!_

__lochnessie17. tumblr. com__


	8. Our Day Will Come

_There is a reason why I chose to pursue veterinary medicine over human medicine. You see, I've noticed over the years that there is one major difference that sets animals apart from humans._

_They do not feel sorry for themselves._

_No matter what their ailment may be, they do not stop moving forward. To them, stopping isn't even an option because nature simply doesn't allow it. Sure, many pets today live in such a way that they do not every have to worry about natural selection running it's course, but that still does not mean their survival instincts aren't still there, hiding in the shadows._

_Most humans, on the other hand, are so far removed from that sort of lifestyle that we can afford to halt our progress and take time to sulk about things that are out of our hands. We let hardships weigh us down and become consumed with the thoughts of 'if only this' and 'if only that" because there really isn't anything out there to stop us._

_I guess what I'm trying to get at is that after experiencing my own struggles with depression after my surgery, I found a new respect for our four-legged friends. That realization must have also stuck with me because somewhere over the course of the next few years following my operation, I made the decision to dedicate the rest of my life to caring for animals._

_And the rest was history._

* * *

These were the times when I absolutely hated my job.

Staring at the patient's file I had pulled up on my home laptop, I reread the word that was listed next to their name.

_Deceased__._

Shifting my gaze down to the textbooks in front of me, I continued to scan through the different pages, looking for anything more I could have done. Unfortunately, nothing came of my search. Clenching my jaw, I pushed the books away and leaned away from the desk to rest my head on the back of my chair.

I'm not sure how long I sat there, silently staring up at the ceiling, but I did, all the while allowing thoughts to churn in my head.

Suddenly, something in the far off reaches of my consciousness registered a voice calling out to me, but I made no move to see who it was. I just kept my eyes trained on the ceiling as I continued fighting to keep it together. That is, until I felt a pair of hands being placed on both sides of my face so the person could make me look at them.

And there they were; the warm mocha-colored eyes that I couldn't help but get lost in.

"Brittany, are you okay? I've been calling your name, but you never answered."

I heard the question, but everything was still so far away. It was like my head was underwater, making every spoken word muffled and warped into a sound I couldn't understand as I continued to seek refuge in her concerned gaze.

"She's gone," I eventually managed to whisper, though the statement was mostly meant for myself.

"Who's gone, Baby?" the brunette asked as she softly caressed one of my cheeks with her thumb.

"Sandy," I hear my trembling voice answer as everything started to come back into focus. I felt my face contort as I tried in a last ditch effort to hold back the tears welling up in my eyes, but it was already too late. The weight of the day had finally come crashing down on me, causing me to break.

Allowing my head to slip from her grasp, I hunched over to shove my face into my hands and finally cry the tears I had been holding back for the past several hours. "She was the very first patient I ever treated at Lima Vet Clinic. She-she used to be so damn spunky back then, and-and-_Shit!_" I mumbled into the palms of my hands as I ground my teeth together and felt my entire body start to shake out of sheer anguish.

"Britt, I can't understand what you're saying. Please, talk to me," she begged as she knelt down to get closer to me and place her hands on my forearms to give a gentle tug.

Glancing up suddenly, I sarcastically barked, "What's there to talk about? I failed one of my patients, and now she's no longer with us because of it. Simple as that."

"Baby, I'm sure you did all you could for her. Now, please try to calm down."

Ignoring her plea, I continue to explain, "I was _supposed_ to save her, San. T-That's my job, and I-I-" I was suddenly cut off by the feeling of hands gripping the sides of my head once more as she forced me to meet her eyes.

"I will _not_ let you sit here and blame yourself for this, Brittany Susan Pierce. I can almost guarantee that you did everything you could to help Sandy, but sometimes things just happen that are out of our control."

"B-but she-she was my favorite patient," I whimpered helplessly as I allowed Santana to pull me into a warm embrace.

"I know, Baby. I know. I'm sorry that you have to go through this right now, but please understand she was probably _so_ very grateful for all of your efforts to help make her life as happy and healthy as possible. You are an _amazing _veterinarian, Brittany. You show some of the most care and compassion that I have ever seen from a health care professional, and you have the absolute biggest heart of any human being I have ever met," she stated, punctuating the end of her sentence with a light bop on my nose.

Feeling a small, involuntary smile pull at my lips, I replied, "Thank you, San."

"There's no need to thank me," she immediately refuted with a shrug. "I'm just speaking the truth."

Leaning forward, I pressed a firm kiss to her lips and apologized, "I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"It's okay, Britt. I, of all people, should know about allowing your feelings to get the best of you, so don't even worry about it. Knowing you, you had probably been internalizing most of your grief up until now and was just got caught up in the moment, which is completely understandable."

"Y-yeah," I quietly conceded as I continued to stare down at the floor. Shifting my gaze back up to meet hers, I added, "I love you."

Giving me a warm smile, she responded, "I love you, too. Now, let's go get you some wine to help you relax."

Watching her reach out her hand to help me stand from the chair, I instantly grasped it and allowed her to pull me up before we proceeded to walk to the kitchen, hand-in-hand.

* * *

"So, the kidney stones were causing her to go into renal failure?" San asked as she carefully poured us two glasses of my favorite white wine.

Giving a nod in confirmation, I explained, "Yeah, we had gone in to remove some stones in the past, but they kept reforming. Her owners didn't want to have to put her through the surgery again since she took it really hard the first time around. Plus, there was an increased risk that she wouldn't make it since she was over seven-years-old and in renal failure, so they came to the decision that putting her down would be the best for her well-being. She had been in a lot of pain for a good while, and they didn't want her to have to suffer more than she already had."

"Aw, well at least she doesn't have to hurt anymore," the brunette sympathized as she handed me the beverage.

Looking down at the liquid in the wineglass, I allowed my head to bob up and down a few times in agreement. "She also got to have a really good last day with her owners. They both took off from work so they could take her out to the park one last time. They set out a picnic blanket under their favorite tree and ate lunch together. Sandy even got to eat a cheeseburger for the first time," I chuckled. "Her parents said that she absolutely loved it."

"Wow, sounds like she got the works."

"Yep, she sure did. They never had kids, so she was always prone to being spoiled," I responded with a strained smile. Feeling myself getting a little choked up again, I added, "You know what the worst thing is?"

"What, Britt-Britt?" she tentatively asked in a subdued tone.

"This all had to happen right before Christmas. I mean, isn't the grieving process hard enough without having to_ also_ be alone for the holidays?"

"Baby," she started, but I already knew where her thought process was headed.

"I know, San. I get it. It's just that-It just makes me really upset."

"And that's one of the many reasons why I love you. You're always so caring and thoughtful," she stated as she made her way around the bar to stand beside the stool I was sitting on. Cupping my cheek with the hand that wasn't holding her wine, she drew me into a sweet and tender kiss. A few seconds later, she pulled away and tugged me out of my chair as she informed, "Come on. I have a surprise for you."

Following her lead, I allowed her to take me over to the large coffee table she had in the living room. Noticing all the ingredients for s'mores spread out across the table, I asked, "Woah, what's the occasion?"

"Well," she drawled out as she placed our beverages on the table and made her way over to the old record player I had in the corner of the room to put on her favorite album, Amy Winehouse's _Lioness: Hidden Treasures_. Closing her eyes, she allowed her head to bop to the opening beats of "Our Day Will Come" before turning her gaze back to me to answer, "My mother gave me an early Christmas present today."

"Oh?" I questions, still a little confused as to why a Christmas present would result in celebratory s'mores.

Strolling her way over to me, she grabbed my hands so she could swing them from side to side as she started to move her body to the music. She looked up at me with a broad grin, which I couldn't help to return as I started to dance along with her. Then, she revealed, "Mom told me that I've officially made partner."

Halting my movements, I stared at her with a confused gaze before realizing what she meant and felt an excited smile pull at my lips. "For real?"

"For real," she tried to reply, but the end came out as more of a squeal as I pulled her up in my arms and spun her around before setting her back down on the ground.

"Oh my gosh, that's so awesome, San!" I cheered, tightening my hold on her to cause our mouths to come crashing together in a brief kiss. Pulling back to hold her and arm's length, I added, "Oh my gosh, I'm so excited for you!"

"Thanks, Babe. I'm pretty damn excited, as well. We ended up going over a few general things today, but we're scheduled to all sit down and discuss the main stuff tomorrow."

"Well, cheers to that!" I exclaimed as I grabbed my drink from the coffee table and brought it up towards her.

Picking up her glass, as well, she lifted it up to mine and responded with a quick "Cheers!" before clinking our glasses together. After we each took a quick sip, we returned the wineglasses to the table. While I got the fireplace lit, San opened the various sweets and sorted them into piles. Then, we undid some wire coat hangers I found in the hall closet and straightened them out as best we could so we could use them to roast the marshmallows.

"Um, Britt, your marshmallow is on fire," Santana informed as we both watched my white ball of fluff being burned to a crisp.

Shooting a smirk, I pulled the charred mallow out of the fire and blew out the last bit of orange flames, replying, "I know. That's the way I like it."

"Ew," Santana groaned in disgust as she watched me sandwich the s'more between two graham crackers and a couple small bars of chocolate.

"No, it's delicious! Here, try it," I offered as I held it up to her mouth.

Taking a small bite, she covered her mouth and began to formulate her opinion as she chewed. "Mm, not as bad as I thought," she conceded as she snatched the treat out of my hand.

"Hey, that one was supposed to be mine!" I cried out as I watched her finish it off.

"Aw, it'll be okay. You can have my next one, which I'll be sure to make it nice and toasty for you," she teased with a full mouth and a smirk, and I swear I had never felt so in love with her than I did in that very moment.

By the time we were through feeding each other the deserts we constructed, the entire record had played itself through. Santana gave me a look that silently asked if it would be okay to restart the record from the beginning before standing up to make her way back over to the player. Once she was seated beside me once more on the floor, I scooted down and rested my head in her lap, succumbing to the effects of the wine. Between the soothing music and the fingers Santana was running through my hair, I began drifting off, but not before absentmindedly mumbling, "This is nice. Makes me wish we could stay like this forever."

I could almost hear the smile in her voice as she instantly replied, "I couldn't agree with you more."

Humming in contentment, I let myself to slip away into unconsciousness as Amy Winehouse's voice continued to float through the room, singing, _"Our day will come if we just wait a while. No tears for us. Think love and wear a smile. Our dreams have magic because we'll always stay in love this way. Our day will come."_

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Hi there! Thanks for reading the new chapter. I know this was a short one, but it's all part of something that I'm trying building up to so please just bear with me. Haha. Anyways, I hope you enjoyed it and that I'll get to see you all again soon!_

_lochnessie17. tumblr. com_


	9. Siblings

_Much like my love for engineering, my little sister developed a deep interest in physics at a very early age. The only problem with this was the fact that we each saw the world in very different ways, resulting in us constantly bickering about almost everything._

_Thankfully as we got older, we came to realize just how much we balanced each other out. She had always been the headstrong, practical thinker who helped me to see why something happened the way it did while I specialized in thinking outside the box and showing her the different ways she could apply the knowledge she knew._

_Through our mutual sharing of information, we became really close, which is probably why she took it the hardest when I suddenly started to move away from engineering to pursue a career in veterinary medicine. It was like she had lost everything she had ever known about me, and our relationship suffered because of it._

_It wasn't until my winter break from college two years later that I finally revealed to her why everything had changed for me. __She was the first person I ever told about my time traveling, and once she understood everything I had been through, we finally got ourselves back on track and became closer than ever before._

* * *

I walked into the kitchen on Christmas Eve morning to find my wonderfully awesome girlfriend making me breakfast over by the stove. Stepping up behind her, I slowly slipped my arms around her waist and gently pulled her body flush against me, quietly thanking her for the meal as I reached to press a gentle peck to her cheek.

"No problem, Britt-Britt. I just wanted to do a little something for you before you have to leave," she replied as she put down the spatula she was holding and slowly spun around to face me. Looking up to meet my gaze, she added, "I'm still mad that they're making you go into work today, by the way."

"Babe, we're only going to be open until noon," I reminded her as I tucked a stray hair behind her ear, hoping that my attempt at reassurance would be enough to cheer her up.

Unfortunately, my endeavors proved unsuccessful as she jutted out her bottom lip and grumbled, "I know, but it's Christmas Eve."

"Aw, don't pout. I'll be back before you know it, and then I will be all yours until we have to leave for my parents' house," I cooed, giving her a long, sweet kiss before suddenly catching a whiff of something burning. Pulling away, I whispered, "Uh, San?"

"Uh-huh?" she quietly mumbled, clearly still under the influence of our kiss as she stared up at me with a dreamy look on her face.

_I swear this girl is just as hopeless as I am sometimes._

Feeling a smile tug at my lips, I whispered, "I think you need to check on the eggs."

Her eyes immediately shot open in realization as she shouted, "Oh shit!" and spun around to find smoke rising up from the now charred eggs. "Damn it!" Santana cried as she carefully took the smoldering pan over to the sink to rinse it out with water, releasing a loud groan as the cool water hit the pan and caused a huge puff of steam to rise up towards the ceiling.

Feeling the need to comfort my now sulking girlfriend, I gently rubbed my hand up and down her back as assured, "It's okay, San. I can just grab something on the way."

"But I wanted to make you something," she huffed out in defeat.

"Really, it's no big deal. There will be _plenty_ more opportunities for you to cook me breakfast," I promised, pressing a quick kiss to her temple before pulling away. "Anyways, I guess I better get going so I can have time to stop somewhere. Plus, the sooner I leave, the sooner I can come home, right?"

"Um, I don't think it works that way, Britt," Santana replied with a smirk as she set the pan down in the sink and started walking me to the door.

"Shh, just let me keep believing," I playfully hushed as she helped me slip on my coat.

Turning back around to face her, I let her zip me up before she moved to secure a soft, knitted scarf around my neck. "Fine, but only because I love you," she teased, pulling me down by the scarf so she could press her lips to mine.

"Mm, love you, too," I chirped happily as I leaned in to give her one last kiss before turning to grab my favorite trapper hat from off the coatrack. Slipping the accessory onto my head, I threw a quick, "See you when I get back," over my shoulder and made my way out the front door.

* * *

I walked into my office about ten minutes later to find a hot cup of tea on my desk. Looking closely, I also noticed a mini-candy cane hooked to the rim so that it was soaking into the warm drink. Moving around to take a seat, I lifted the mug to my lips and took a quick taste.

"Mm, peppermint tea! Score!" I cheered happily as I brought the mug back up to take another small sip.

"Yeah, I figured you might enjoy a beverage that was a little more festive since you have to be here and all," Allie stated as she made her way into the room.

"Hey! I thought you had the day off."

"Yeah, well Jen called in sick, so I told her I'd cover. Plus, I knew you'd miss your favorite technician, so Merry Christmas to you."

Rolling my eyes, I sarcastically retorted, "Oh, you are too kind."

"Darn right, I am," she teased back as she pulled out a neatly wrapped package from behind her back. Placing it on my desk, she added, "Here's your real present, by the way."

Dropping the act, I smiled genuinely at the girl and told her, "Aw, you didn't have to get me anything."

"No worries. It's more for Layla, anyways," she informed as I unwrapped the gift to reveal a new Ohio State University dog collar.

"Oh, wow! How did you know she needed a new one?"

Giving me a small shrug, Allie replied, "I noticed her other collar was pretty worn out when you brought her up here the other day, so I decided to spoil her a little bit."

"Well, thanks, Al. That was really thoughtful of you."

"I know. I'm kind of awesome like that," she replied with a smug grin.

"Okay, don't get cocky," I chuckled as I heard the receptionist announce my first appointment of the day. Shooting the girl a wide smirk, I nodded my head back towards the door and stated, "Looks like you better get going."

"Yeah, yeah," the girl waved me off with a roll of her eyes as she turned to make her way back out of the office.

Laughing quietly to myself, I turned my attention to my computer screen and started scrolling through my schedule for the day while occasionally drinking from the warm cup in my hand. It wasn't until a few minutes later that the vet tech came back to get me, which resulted in me abandoning my tea so I could officially start my work day.

Business remained relatively steady though out the morning, and we had made it almost all the way through the appointments when I suddenly heard our phone person call out over the intercom, "Dr. Pierce, you have Santana Lopez holding on line three. Dr. Pierce, line three."

Unsure of what my girlfriend would be calling for, I glanced up from the microscope I was using with a confused look and walked over to the nearest telephone to answer with a simple, "Hello?"

"Hey, Babe, it's me. Are you busy?"

"Nope, I'm just looking at an ear cytology. Why? What's up?" I ask as I made my way back over to continue viewing the slide through the device's ocular lenses, pulling the corded handset along with me in the process.

"Well, I was trying to get everything together so we'd be able to leave as soon as you were ready, but I can't seem to find those cherries your mother asked us to get for the pie."

Squeezing my eyes closed, I leaned back away from the scope and sighed, "Crap, that's because I forgot to go buy them."

"It's okay. I can just go pick some up real fast," the woman replied.

"San, you don't have to do that. I can just go grab them on my way home."

"I'm already out the door, B. See you in an hour. Love you!"

Allowing a small sigh to slip past my smiling lips, I lightly shook my head and quietly muttered, "Love you, too." Just as I turned around to hang up the phone, I noticed Allie standing there with a smirk.

"Was that your lady friend?" she asked as she grabbed the phone from my hand and returned it to the receiver.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling her that? She's my _girlfriend_ now."

"I know. I just felt like messing with you a bit. Totally called it, by the way," she informed with a smug grin.

"Called what?"

"That you two would end up dating," she answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Scrunching my eyes up in confusion, I responded, "I never heard you say anything about us getting together."

"That's because we didn't tell you."

"Um, I'm sorry. _We?_" I questioned as I stared at her through narrowed eyes.

"Yeah, a few of the other techs and I had a bet going to see how long it would take the two of you to get together. Thanks for winning me fifty bucks, by the way!"

"WHAT?" I shouted in surprise, causing a few of the other technicians to stop what they were doing to see what was going on. Waving them off with a small, tight-lipped smile, I turned my attention back to Allie and whisper-shouted, "Please tell me you are joking."

"Don't worry, I put most of the money towards the collar. I mean, it's the least I could do," she assured with a nonchalant wave of her hand.

"Oh my gosh, what in the heck am I going to do with you," I questioned as I shook my head in disbelief. Realizing that was a real thing that actually happened, I reached over and playfully shoved the girl's shoulder as I warned, "You better also be purchasing me more tea with that money, you little twerp."

"Psh, who do you think I am? I've already got you restocked with all your favorites, and I even threw in a few new ones just for the hell of it."

"Yeah, that's what I thought, Punk. Now, let's go talk this pup's parents about his ear infection before I think of even more stuff for you to buy me," I teased as I tossed the used slide into the sharps container and lead her back to the exam room.

* * *

"Honey, I'm home," I jokingly yelled out as soon as I walked through my front door, knowing that Santana was still lurking somewhere in the house. Suddenly, I heard the tapping of nails against the hardwood floor as Layla came rushing over to where I stood, follow closely behind by Delgado. Pushing them both off as they excitedly jumped up on me, I giggled, "Hey, kiddos. Did ya miss me while I was gone?"

"Of course they did, but I can almost guarantee that I missed you more," Santana cut in as she made her way into the room.

"Well, I don't know about that. I mean, they were the ones who came running to greet me while you took your sweet time moseying on over."

"Yeah, because I was in the middle of packing everything up for this afternoon while these two lazy turds slept on the kitchen floor."

"Hm, I guess you might have a point there. Oh, I bought Del a present while I was out, by the way," I informed as I tossed the collar Allie had given me over to her

Noticing the OSU logo, she pulled her face into a grimace and muttered a quiet _ew _as she tossed it over onto the couch. As soon as she did, however, her black lab rushed over to inspect the item and picked it up in his mouth. "Hey, don't touch that!" she yelled as she reached down to take it from him, but Delgado quickly darted away, thinking she was trying to play.

I couldn't help but laugh as I watched her chase the dog around the room. After a minute or so, I finally took pity on the poor girl and let out a loud whistle. Gaining his attention, I motioned for Del to bring me the collar, which he immediately obeyed. "Drop it," I told him in a firm tone with a hand held out.

"Oh my God, you traitor!" San shouted as she pointed at the lab as she watched him give up the collar without a fight. "I hope you know Santa Claus is giving you a _huge_ lump of coal for Christmas now!"

"Um, I think you mean _Santana Claus_, Babe," I playfully jibed as I walked over to exchange Layla's old collar with her new one. "Oh and if this is how you are going to react to a collar, then I can't wait for you to see the real present I got him."

Shooting me a suspicious look, she inquired, "Why? What did you give him?"

"You'll see," I teased with a wink before making my way to the staircase so I could get ready for dinner at my parent's house.

I didn't get far, however, before hearing a sudden rush of footsteps behind me as Santana darted over to the foot of the steps and yelled, "Brittany Susan Pierce! You better not have gotten him that OSU jersey I saw you looking at online the other day!"

Hearing her response, I threw my hand over my mouth to muffle my laughter.

The last thing I wanted was for her to discover that her guess was exactly right. At least, not until it was time to unwrap all of our presents the following morning.

* * *

"I'm serious, B. I hope you kept the receipt because we are returning his gift if it turns out to be that lame ass jersey," Santana warned as we made our way to the front door of my parents' house.

"Okay, but only if we return the bedding you bought for Layla. You know, the one with the _huge_ U of M logo embroidered into it," I negotiated with a smirk, which caused her eyes to shoot wide open in surprise.

"How did you know that?"

"Babe, you're kind of really bad at hiding presents," I leaned in close to whisper to her as if it were a secret we were trying to keep.

Pushing me away, she countered, "Says the girl who tried to hide her spare key under the doormat."

"Are you ever going to let that go?" I questioned while rolling my eyes in exasperation.

"Nope," she replied, popping the _p_ as she unsuccessfully attempted to force back a shit-eating grin.

"Well, then I guess we know who won't be getting _any_ for a while," I told my girlfriend as I turned to continue making my way towards the doorstep, but not before watching her face drop in response to my statement.

"Wait, Babe! Can't we just take a minute to finish talking this out before letting your parents know we're here?" Santana begged as she spotted me reaching up to ring the doorbell, but it was already too late. Stifling a laugh, I pressed the button that caused a faint chiming sound to come from inside the house.

"Damn it, Britt! You did that on purpose!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," I stated as I feigned ignorance. Santana didn't buy the act for a second and was just about to tell me as much when we heard the door suddenly open. Just as I turned back around to say _hello,_ I noticed my mother's tall blonde form darting past me to get to San.

"Oh my gosh, hello! I'm Susan Pierce, Brittany's mom. It's so nice to finally meet you after hearing all the wonderful things our daughter has told us. Wow, you are _so_ much prettier in real life! I also really love your hair. How do you get it to curl like that? It looks absolutely stunning," my mother rambled as she reached forward and enthusiastically shook San's hand.

Needless to say, the stunned look on San's face was absolutely hilarious, with her mouth gaping wide open and her brow raised so high that it almost looked like it was trying to recede up into her hairline.

Biting back a laugh, I decided to cut my girlfriend some slack and pulled the older woman away, saying, "Alright, Mom. I'd really appreciate it if you didn't scare off my girlfriend within the first two seconds of meeting her."

"Hey, I'm not scared! I was just taken a little aback, is all," Santana defended as she started to get a handle on the situation. Nervously glancing back and forth between the two of us, the brunette clearly tried to shift the attention away from her by joking, "At least I now know where Britt gets all her energy from."

"Yeah, you most certainly got that right," my dad replied as he stepped through the doorway with an outstretched hand, patiently waiting for Santana to return the gesture, unlike my mother. "Hi, I'm John, Brittany's father."

"Santana. Nice to meet you," Santana returned as they shared a firm handshake.

"It's nice to meet you, as well. Now, how about we head inside so we can get all this unloaded before our last guest arrives?" he suggested as he took the bags of food from my hands. Stepping into the house, we followed my parents into the kitchen, where they already had the rest of the food laid out on the counter.

"So, when is _Hails Bells_ supposed to get here, anyways?"

"She actually called a little while ago to let us know that she was almost here, so it will probably be any minute now," my father answered as he placed the cherries and granulated sugar next to the rest of the pie ingredients. Just as soon as the words had left his mouth, there was another loud ring of the doorbell, causing us to all turn our attention back towards the living room. "Well, speak of the devil," Dad joked as he left to answer the door.

After listening to the quiet creek of the front door's hinges reopening, I heard the man greet, "Hey, Kiddo! How was the trip?"

"Good. I ran into a little bit of traffic on the way in, but it was smooth sailing other than that," a familiar voice answered, causing me to involuntarily smile.

"Fantastic! Your sister and Santana actually just got here about a minute before you did."

"Yeah, I saw them walking in as I drove up," the voiced responded as a young blonde stepped into the room.

"Oh, my youngest daughter finally decided to come home to see me!" my mother cried out excitedly as she rushed over to wrap her up in a tight hug.

"Okay, that's enough, Mom. You can let go now," my sister laughed after a few seconds as she gently pushed the older woman away. Looking over in my direction, she called out, "Hey, Butt Face. It's been a while."

"Yeah, you definitely got that right, Pipsqueak," I teased back as I walked over to give her a hug. "How did your first semester of grad school go?"

"Challenging, but nothing I couldn't handle," she joked before shifting her gaze over my shoulder to the brunette standing behind me. "And you must be the infamous Santana," she stated as she looked her over from head to toe with a critical gaze.

"Yeah, and I'm guessing you're Hailey?" Santana questioned with a small smile as she reached out with a steady hand, though it was pretty obvious that she wasn't quite sure what to make of my little sister sizing her up.

Regardless, Hailey shook her hand with a polite grin and answered, "Yep, that'd be me." Releasing her grip, my sister shifted her gaze back over to me and asked, "Hey, Britt, do you mind helping me unpack the car real fast?"

"Um, sure. Be right there," I told her as I glanced over to Santana to make sure that she was alright with being left with my parents for a few minutes.

"It's okay, B. Go help your sister," San assured as she pressed a firm hand to the small of my back and gently nudged me towards the house's front entrance. With her blessing, I left the room and made my way over to my sister's car, where I found her already unloading the trunk.

"Gotta hand it to you, Sis. Your girlfriend's really attractive," Hailey commented as she pulled out a large suitcase and set it down on the ground.

"Uh, thanks," I responded in an apprehensive tone, suddenly getting the nagging suspicion that helping her unpack wasn't the only reason she had pulled me away from everyone else.

My theory was quickly proven right when she inquired, "So, have you told her yet?"

Already knowing exactly what she was referring to, I answered truthfully with a firm, "No."

"Hm, well that's no good," she stated offhandedly as she pulled out another bag from inside the car's trunk.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I inquired as I stared at her through narrowed eyes.

Letting her luggage drop to the pavement, she crossed her arms over her chest and gave me a stern look. "It means exactly what it sounds like. How much longer do you think you can draw this out without telling her the truth?"

Noticing the look she always gets when she's about to serve up a dose of tough love, I reassured, "Hey, I'm working on it, okay? I just haven't found the right moment to tell her yet."

"Brittany, we've talked about this," she groaned, lifting a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose briefly before letting it drop back down by her side. With a pleading expression, she continued, "There will never be a good moment to fill her in about your dabbles in _time traveling, so y_ou just need to girl up and tell her before you get yourself in too deep."

"Well, I'm already in too deep, so I guess it doesn't matter anymore," I quietly retorted while refusing to meet her eyes.

Realizing that she wasn't going to get anywhere with me, she released a frustrated huff and brushed past me with a bag slung over each shoulder, leaving me with only a half-filled backpack that she could have easily carried in herself.

Yep, I was definitely right.

All she had wanted was to talk.

* * *

We were all seated at the dinner table a few hours later, making idle chit-chat as we passed around the honey baked ham and the various side dishes my parents had prepared. Well, everyone else was talking except Hailey, who had remained uncharacteristically silent since our little exchange outside.

Glancing over in her direction from time to time, I noticed that she seemed to be in deep thought about something as she absentmindedly pushed a pile of corn and mashed potatoes around her plate with a distant stare. That is, until she suddenly snapped her gaze up towards my girlfriend.

"What is it that you do again, Santana?" Hailey suddenly spoke up, causing me to shoot her a questioning look. I knew for a fact that she already knew Santana was a lawyer because I had spoken to her about the brunette's work on several occasions.

San, however, was completely unaware of that fact as she replied, "I'm a lawyer."

"Oh, well isn't that something? Did you know that Brittany wanted to be an engineer once upon a time?" the girl replied nonchalantly as she looked over to me, her eyes clearly telling me that she was up to something.

"Hailey Ann Pierce!" Mom called out in a warning tone, but my sister didn't even flinch as her unrelenting gaze continued to bore holes into my unwavering eyes.

"Well, actually it was more between engineering and dance, but then something happened to change all that. Isn't that right, Britt?"

I felt my entire body bristle as those words left my sister's mouth. Sure, she'd always been rather frank, which was very dangerous when paired with her hardheaded, cut-and-dried personality, but I never thought she'd actually try to blatantly call me out in front of San.

One thing I did know, however, was that she had no intention of stopping until she got whatever point she was trying to prove across to me. So with that knowledge, I pulled the cloth napkin from my lap and stood up out of my chair without breaking our eye contact.

"Hailey! My room. Now," I growled out through gritted teeth, fighting back the anger I felt bubbling up in my chest. I'd be damned if she made me lose my composure in front of San, but as soon as we were within the confines of my bedroom, I turned around and snapped, "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"Funny. I was just about to ask you the same question," my sister shot back in a challenging tone before allowing her abrasive exterior to all but dissolve, adding in a much gentler tone, "Look, I'm just trying to make you see that you're setting yourself up to get hurt."

"No, I'm going to find a way to make it all work out. Everything is going to be fine."

"Brittany, you don't know that for sure. There's still the possibility that you-"

"I don't care about what I might have changed by seeing our future," I interrupted, already knowing what she was going to say. Feeling all my fears start to catch up to me, I allowed my shoulders to slump as I shakily attempted to reassure the both of us, "We're still going to end up together and live happily ever after regardless of my time jumping. We _have_ to."

"I'm not saying you aren't, Britt. I'm just trying to be realistic," she admitted. "Please try to understand were I'm coming from. I don't want you to get your hopes up just to be let down if things go the other way. I mean, what are you going to do if you finally work up the courage to tell her and she takes it badly?"

"She's not. She'll understand. She always does," I told her as I adamantly shook my head, unable to even consider any other outcome than the one I had seen. Unfortunately, Hailey didn't seem to grasp that fact as she continued press on.

"Britt-"

"No, I need you to stop trying to butt into my relationship. I know my girlfriend_._ I know her, and I know that she will somehow understand whenever I find the right way to tell her about what I've seen. In the meantime, I need you leave so I can figure out how I'm going to explain everything _else_ that I wasn't ready to talk about."

"Brittany, I'm sorry. I didn't mea-"

"Don't. Just-Just go," I replied, waving her off with a flick of my wrist. After watching her slowly start to turn and walk out the room. I maked my way over to the foot of my bed and sat down before leaning over to place my face in my hands.

I had no idea how I was going to explain all this to San. I mean, Hailey was right when she said that there was no right time to tell someone that you've traveled through time, but I just wanted to do it on my terms for once. Many of the secrets I had been trying to keep have been exposed before I was ready, and now, I just want this one thing, the biggest secret I have to keep, to be revealed when I am finally ready to do it myself.

_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_

Suddenly, a light knocking sound brought me out of my thoughts.

Dragging my hands down to where I could see, I noticed Santana standing in the open door way, timidly looking over in my direction as she informed, "Your sister suggested that I come check up on you after you never came back down. Are you okay?"

"Yeah," I quietly murmured as I sat up a bit with my hands between my knees

Walking over to where I was seated, Santana eased herself down onto the bed beside me and took a slow look around the bedroom. "Woah, Hailey wasn't joking about you being a dancer," Santana mentioned as she spotted at all the old dance trophies and awards I had collected over the years.

"Yeah, it's something that I used to be really passionate about," I replied with a small frown.

Noticing this, Santana quickly slipped a hand around the inside of my arm to hold my bicep and leaned head onto my shoulder as she agreed, "Yeah, I can tell."

The gesture was meant to be comforting, but it only made me feel even guiltier about all that I've kept from her.

Taking a deep breathe, I slowly let it back out and apologized, "I'm sorry you seem to always have to find out stuff out about me this way. My sister, she-she's impulsive and doesn't think things through before speaking sometimes, but I have to admit that she is right on some level. There are things I've been keeping from you, and I swear it's not because I don't trust you. It's just tha-"

"Hey, you don't have to justify yourself to me. I get it. You went through a lot when you were younger, and I don't blame you for not necessarily wanting to talk about it if you don't have to," she responded as she looked up an understanding smile. "Please just take your time and know that I'll be here to listen whenever you're ready."

Giving a feeble nod of my head, I replied, "Alright. Thank you, San."

"No problem. Now, come on! I really want to go get a piece of that pie," San informed as she patted my thigh a couple of times before standing up. She must have noticed that something was off with what she said, however, because she instantly pulled a face and mumbled, "I mean, just wanky."

Giving her a confused look, I repeated her previous statement in my head before realizing the double-meaning of her words. Rolling my eyes with a small smile, I pushed myself up off the bed and slipped my fingers between hers so she could pull us back down stairs, all the while hoping against hope that everything would turn out okay._  
_

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_I just wanted to start by saying that this chapter turned out very different than what I had originally envisioned. For example, _I had no idea that Hailey Pierce was going to turn out to be such a little firecracker, but I hope I was able to get across that she really does have her sister's best interests at heart. She just doesn't always know the best way of expressing those concerns.__

_Anyways, thank you so much for taking the time to read my story, and I hope to see you all next time!_

_P.S.: I'm always a little weary when it comes to news regarding upcoming Glee episodes... but them spoilers, though. (If only, if only...) _

_*insert 'let's pray' Quinn gif here*_

_P.P.S.: lochnessie17. tumblr. com_


	10. If I Can't Have You

_My entire trip through time came as a moment of impulsion._

_Hailey and I had yet again found ourselves in the midst of a heated debate concerning whether or not it was possible to build a working time machine. In her mind, there were just too many factors involved for any one person to successfully make it from Point A to Point B and back in one piece. _

_When I tried to explain that I had already found the values to almost every variable one would need to time travel, she didn't believe me. In the heat of the moment, I felt the overwhelming need to show her that I knew what I was talking about and ended up spending the rest of the night preparing my time machine for its maiden voyage._

_I knew from the moment I entered the large machine that the project wasn't quite ready and that there were still several calculations left to be made, but I didn't care. All that mattered was finally proving, once and for all, that I was the one who was right. _

_My trip was a relative success, but as the Laws of Physics state, every action leads to an equal and opposite reaction. The forces I used to push myself through time had also pushed back on me and ended up almost costing me my life._

_That was the day I realized that my little sister had a knack for being correct in her assumptions, which is an observation that has proved itself time and time again. _

_Unfortunately, I only ever seem to remember this fact after it's already too late._

* * *

"San?" I quietly called out as I slowly pushed open the bedroom door to peer inside, watching as light flooded the dark room to reveal a mess of brown hair poking out from under a mountain of covers. Assuming the girl in question was still fast asleep, I quickly decided not to disturb her rest and started to retreat back through the doorway when I heard her suddenly speak up.

"Hey, Baby," Santana groggily mumbled as she popped her head out from under the comforter to look at me with a sleepy grin. "It's about time you came in here to join me. Come on, I've already got your spot all warmed up," she informed as she scooted back towards her usual side of the bed and held up the covers for me slide in beside her, causing my heart to give a slight flutter.

_I love her._

"Britt, why are you just standing there? Get under here before it gets cold, ya goof," Santana teased as she patted my designated space, bringing me out of my thoughts and causing my body to involuntarily jolt forward towards her.

Getting situated between the sheets, I immediately allowed myself to curl into her side and get comfortable. "Mmm, no wonder you were all cuddled up under here. I feel like I'm in the middle of a big, toasty marshmallow," I quietly noted as I buried my face in the crook of her neck, nuzzling my nose against her soft skin as I added, "I hope I didn't scare you when I came in earlier."

Letting out a small, raspy chuckle, Santana admitted, "I was a little startled at first, but then I heard you clanging around in the kitchen and figured I was either being robbed by the worst burglar in history of the world or that my conspicuous girlfriend had dropped by for a visit. What in the world were you doing in there anyways?"

"Nothing much. Just getting ready to making us some breakfast and lunch."

"You mean brunch?" she inquired with a curious tone.

"No, there will be two separate meals," I stated with a timid smile as I pulled away just enough to look at her. "I was actually thinking we could take the pups to the park later and have ourselves a little New Year's Eve picnic before the party tonight, if it's okay with you."

"Aw, well aren't you the sweetest, most thoughtful girlfriend in the world," Santana commented with a cute, little grin before giving a slight nod of her head. "It sounds we have a perfect day in the makings."

"That's what I'm hoping for," I commented honestly before unwrapping myself from Santana's warm embrace, much to her chagrin.

"Hey, where do you think you're going? You leaving me alone in bed isn't part of the perfect day plan."

"Calm down, Babe," I chuckled as I leaned down to press a gentle, reassuring kiss to her lips. "I'm just going to go finish making breakfast, and then I'll be back. In fact, the only reason I even came here in the first place was to see what your breakfast preferences were for the morning. Then, you decided to be all cute, and I just couldn't find it in me to deny you morning snuggles."

"Yeah, you really do have a weak spot for my cuteness, don't you?" she questioned with a tight-lipped smirk.

"The absolute _weakest_," I joked back, giving her one last kiss before asking, "So, what'll it be? I already have the sausage, eggs, and bacon ready to go. Now, all I need to know is if you want pancakes, toast, or waffles." As usual, she didn't even have to bother with voicing her decision out loud. The look in her eyes told me everything I needed to know, so without further ado, I gave a slight nod of my head and confirmed, "Waffles it is."

* * *

A few hours and a long cuddle session later, we finally decided to roll out of bed and head to the park, but not before I finished preparing lunch. Wanting the menu to be a surprise, I sent San into the living room to wait with Layla and Del while I quickly put the finishing touches on our midday meal, and within fifteen minutes, everything was packed and ready to go. Taking the bag holding our food into my hands, I headed out of the living room and instantly found my girlfriend watching TV on the couch with a dog curled up on each side.

"Well if I would have known the pups were so tired, I would have never suggested taking them to the _park_," I comment while stressing the last word to get the dogs' attention. Sure enough, as soon as the word left my mouth, their heads popped up with their ears perked. "Yeah, you heard me. We were supposed to be going to the _park_ today," I repeated with a smile, which only grew as I watched them both scramble off the couch and rush over toward the front entrance of the house.

"Hey, hold on, you two impatient knuckleheads! We're going to leave in just a second," Santana laughed out over their excited barking as she pushed herself up onto her feet and walked over to the coatrack to slip on her jacket and scarf. Once I managed to follow suit, we each bent down to fasten a leash to our respective pooch and took off out the door.

It didn't take long for us to get to the park, and after meandering around the paved pathways, we finally made it to a fenced in section where dogs could play freely. Stepping inside the gates, we unlatched the leashes from the dogs' collars and watched the pair take of running while we headed over to our usual park bench arm-in-arm.

Once Santana was seated, I quickly moved to sit down beside her and began unpacking the contents of the insulated lunch sack, handing a warm thermos over to San so she could twist off the cap and take a peek inside.

"Britt, is this tomato soup?" she questioned as she lent down to take a whiff of its contents.

"Yeah, I also made us some grilled cheeses. See?" I replied, pulling out the two toasted sandwiches I had prepared. Taking note of the giddy grin lighting up her face, I couldn't help but tease, "Excited much?"

"Yes, of course I'm excited! You know how much I love grilled cheese and tomato soup. They're basically the soulmates of food. Here, hold this," Santana cheered as she poured some tomato soup into the cup-like lid of the canister and exchanged it for the grilled cheeses I still had in my hand. Returning one of the sandwiches back into the bag, she unwrapped the other and dipped it into the soup before holding it out for me to eat.

"No, Babe. I mainly made this for you, so it's only right that you get the first bite," I politely declined with a small laugh as I gently pushed the offered food away from my mouth.

Santana teasingly rolled her eyes at my refusal but still took a big bite, nonetheless. I watched as she took a minute to chew her food before a big smile made its way across her face. Covering her mouth, she immediately exclaimed, "Oh my God, this is so good! I don't know what you did, but this is seriously the best grilled cheese and tomato soup combo I've ever tasted!" She then proceeded to excitedly dip the sandwich back into the soup and held it up in front of my mouth once more for me to taste, "Here, you've got to try this!"

This time, I took a bite without hesitation and took a moment to process its taste while watching San await my thoughts on the matter with an eager little grin pulling at her lips.

_I love her._

"So, what do you think? Isn't it the best you've ever had?"

"It sure is," I comment wistfully, though my mind was light-years away from the bite of food I had just eaten. Shaking myself out of my daze, I slipped my arm across the back of the bench behind her to get a little more comfortable as we continued to alternate turns biting the soup-covered sandwich.

We sat like that for a long time, enjoying each other's company as we quietly watched Layla and Del playing amongst the other dogs and ate our meal. It wasn't until we were almost completely through the second sandwich that Santana finally broke the comfortable silence that had developed between us.

"Yep, I was right. This has definitely been the most perfect day so far, Britt. Thank you," she acknowledged as she leaned her head over to rest on my shoulder and dipped the last bite of grilled cheese into the cup of soup before bringing it up for me to eat.

"It is no problem at all," I replied as I reached forward slightly to take the bite into my mouth. Taking a second to chew and swallow the food, I added, "I mean, did you honestly think I'd allow anything less for our last day together?"

"Last day?" she asked in confusion, causing my entire body to suddenly still in suspense. Thankfully, her face relaxed less than a second later as she answered her own question with, "Oh, you mean of the year!"

"Y-Yeah, heh," I sputtered out nervously, praying that she'd buy my poor attempt to cover my slip up. "Of course that's what I meant."

God, I hated lying to her.

* * *

"Seriously, who in the hell let Berry pick what we'd be doing tonight?" Santana grumbled as we made our way towards the only open karaoke bar in town to bring in the new year with our friends.

Bumping the side of my arm into her shoulder, I released a breathy laugh as I playfully scolded, "Be nice, San."

"Yeah, yeah," she groaned before glancing up at me with a small smirk. "You just better be ready to intervene if she goes off on one of her showtunes kicks because I refuse to sit and listen to the same damn songlist she insists on singing every time we come here."

"Alright, Babe, whatever you say," I teased, wrapping an arm around her torso so I could gently pull her into my side and press a kiss to the top of her head.

As we walked inside, we took a look around the dimly lit room to find everyone gathered in the far corner of the room.

"Of course the dwarf had to claim the tables with the best access to the stage," Santana groaned in an irritated huff as I began pulling her towards our friends.

We each took turns exchanging pleasantries and words of greeting before finally managing to get settled in to two empty chairs between Quinn and our other friend, Mercedes. The conversations were easy, with us each catching up with what was going on in each other's lives.

Mercedes had just started getting into some _apparently_ juicy gossip she had managed to scrounge up about people we graduated high school with when Rachel suddenly came dashing over to San and I, placing a hand on each of our shoulders as she announced, "Brittany and Santana, it appears that it is your turn. Don't worry, I already took the liberty of picking out the perfect song for you both to sing. I even ventured outside my normal wheelhouse to find something a little more suited to your tastes and vocal ranges. You're welcome."

"We didn't say thank you," Santana instantly snapped as she turned around in her seat and shot the girl a threatening glare.

"I know. You don't have to," Rachel answered simply with a pleased grin, completely oblivious to San's frustration with her.

Getting the sudden feeling that my girlfriend was about to get physical assault charges pressed against her, I quickly circled an arm across Santana's abdomen to pull her out of her chair and back towards the stage, calling out a half-hearted, "Thanks, Rachel," over my shoulder.

"Hey, don't thank her," Santana griped, shooting me an incredulous look. "She didn't do anything. I already had a whole list of song choices in my head to sing to you, and the damn Hobbit had to step in with her big, hairy feet and thwart my plans."

"I know, San, but remember what I said about playing nice?" I asked as I grabbed the microphones we would be using and turned back around to face her. "Let's just sing this one song, and then you'll be free to sing whatever you want without having to worry about Rachel getting in the way. I'll make sure of it."

"Fine, but just know that I'm doing this for you and not Streisand," she huffed out with a small sigh as she took the mic I offered to her and started making her way up the steps leading to the small stage with me following closely behind.

We each stood there under the stage lights, curiously waiting to see what song we'd be singing. Then, I saw the name of the song flash up in the prompter and felt my breath catch in my throat.

Rachel just _had_ to pick this one. Out of all the songs in the world, she had to choose the one that would bring me back down to earth and remind me exactly why I wanted to spend this amazing day with the woman I love.

As the opening notes of _"If I Can't Have You"_ began playing, I felt myself unable to move, let alone breath. Then, I heard the voice of an angel singing the opening line of the song.

"Don't know why I'm surviving every lonely day when there's got to be no chance for me. My life would end."

Snapping my eyes over to the woman standing only a couple feet away, I couldn't help but stare at this amazing creature with a voice sent straight from the heavens and wonder how I was ever lucky enough to call her mine.

I must have missed one of my cues because I suddenly felt a hand on the small of my back and refocused my gaze to find two worried brown eyes staring right at me, asking me if I was okay, as she continued to carry on with the song.

Santana thought I was suffering from stage fright.

Forcing my head to give a small shake, both to tell her that I was okay and to bring me back down to Earth, I forced a small smile and lifted the microphone up to my lips so I could joined her on the pre-chorus.

"Am I strong enough to see it through? Go crazy is what I will do. If I can't have you, I don't want nobody, Baby. If I can't have you. Uh-huh, ah. Oh!"

As we rounded out the first chorus, I fell silent once more. San must have picked up on the fact that I was still a little tense because she started spouting off a bouncy little line of _do's_ and _dah's _while reaching her hand over to give my side a little tickle.

As per usual, she got what she wanted.

Capturing the hand running its fingertips along my torso, I threaded my fingers between hers and gave it a little squeeze while shooting her a playful glare and genuine smile.

We continued on singing that way, with Santana taking the top while I occasionally joined in as back up, all the way up until the end of the second chorus when she added in her own little flare during what was supposed to be just an instrumental part. Repeating "if I can't have you" once more, she then belted out a note that sent my heart soaring once more before bringing it back down to sing the chorus once more.

As the song wrapped up with one last chorus, I silently watched my girlfriend in her element, completely in awe. Sure, I knew she used to sing for her school's showchoir, much like I had done with mine, but never had I ever seen her so at ease.

_I love her._

Santana must have caught me zoned out once again because I suddenly felt her squeeze the hand she was still holding and press a kiss to my cheek. Refocusing, I gave her a little smile as I suddenly heard a loud round of applause and watched as she gave a quick little curtsy before dragging me off stage.

As soon as we were away from prying eyes, she pulled me down into a heated kiss before admitting, "You know, that really wasn't all that bad. Looks like Berry actually did something kind of right for once."

"Hey, do you think we could get out of here?" I suddenly asked, catching Santana slightly off-guard.

"Huh?" Santana asked with an inquisitive expression. Realizing my sudden redirection of topics, she instantly gave a firm nod of her head. "Yeah, of course. Let's go get our stuff and let everyone know that we're heading out," she answered as she began pulling me back towards our table.

* * *

Santana's eyes were on me the entire drive over to our destination, but the reasoning behind her not-so-subtle stares changed once she realized we weren't going to either one of our houses.

I could feel my heart drumming in my chest, threatening to burst out, as I turned into the familiar empty driveway and parked the car. Walking around to the passenger side of the car, I pulled open the door and reached out a hand to help her out of the vehicle.

"So, I've got to be honest. I wasn't exactly expecting to end up at your parents' house when we left the party," Santana joked as she stepped back so I could shut the car door, seemingly unaware of the nervousness I felt from the thoughts lurking in the back of my head.

Mustering up the best smile could manage, I gave a light squeeze of her hand and responded, "I know. There's just something I want to show you, but first, can I ask you something?"

"Anything," she answered breathlessly with so much love shining through her eyes that I almost considered stopping my plan right then and there. Unfortunately, I understood that in order for us to any chance at moving forward, I needed to start being honest and confess everything I had been holding back from her.

Before I could do that, however, I needed a little bit of courage, which is why I asked, "Would it be okay if I hugged you?"

Santana instantly looked at me as if that was the strangest thing she's ever heard but still answered the question, nonetheless. "Britt, you know you don't ever have to ask that," she replied with the gentlest tone I had ever heard her use while opening her arms up for me to walk into.

"O-Okay," I quietly mumbled as I stepped forward and slipped my arms around her neck, pulling her into a tight embrace that she immediately returned.

_I love her._

I could feel my entire body start to shake as the realization of what I was about to do started to seep into my being, and with all the honesty I could muster, I told her, "Thank you for being such a wonderful girlfriend, San. These past six months together have honestly been the happiest of my life, and I am just so very grateful for the time we've shared together."

Catching the slight quiver in my tone, she quietly whispered, "Britt?" She was catching on that something was wrong, and with that knowledge, I decided to pull away.

"Sorry, I'm okay. I'm fine. Anyways, it's freezing out here. Let's head inside," I stated as I started leading her to my parent's front door with her hand held tightly in mine. Once we were on their doorstep, I one-handedly flicked through the various keys looped around my keyring until I found the one belonging to their house and slipped it into the deadbolt.

"Where are your parents?" Santana asked as I flicked on the lights to illuminate the entryway.

"They're at their friend's New Year's Eve party."

"And Hailey?"

"She decided to tag along since she didn't have anything better to do. They won't be back until later on tonight."

"Alright, so why are we here if no one else is going to be home?"

"There's something here that I really needed to show you," I informed as I started making my way towards the staircase that lead down to our basement.

I could feel my hand shaking with nerves as I reached out to grasp the handle. The perspiration coating my palm and shakiness of my hand made it near impossible to turn the knob, but I eventually managed to get the door open and moved to turn on the light switch that would help light our way down the steps.

"Britt, are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," I murmured through deep, unsteady breaths as I focused on keeping my feet steady beneath me. "I just have to show you this."

"Show me what?"

I abruptly stopped walking and turned around to face here. Taking a long moment to stare at her, I felt myself become scared once more of what I was about to do.

_I love her._

Taking a deep breath, I'll turned back around, muttering a quiet, "You'll see," as I continued down into the large, open-floored room. Looking back to find Santana traveling down the last few steps, I asked, "Remember how Hailey told you I used to be really interested in engineering?"

"Yeah," she cautiously answered as she walked over to stand beside me.

"Well, this is my greatest success as an engineer," I informed, motioning to the large mechanical instrument standing in the center of the room.

"What is it?" she inquired with a quirked brow as she looked it over with a curious expression.

Feeling like my heart was about to beat out of my chest, I dropped my gaze to the floor and forced out, "It's, uh-It's a time machine."

Snapping her eyes over to me, Santana gasped out, "A what?"

"A time machine," I reluctantly repeated.

"And your parents let you build a time machine in your basement?"

"Well, no, not really," I replied hesitantly as I shifted my weight between my two feet. "I mean, they didn't actually know it was a time machine until I finally told them about eight years ago."

"Okay, so why do you want to show it to me?"

"It worked."

"What?"

"The time machine. It worked," I clarified while making my way over to the same work bench I spent countless nights at while working on this project. Taking out a sheet of paper from the center drawer, I jotted down the equation I had worked and reworked hundreds of times as I began to explain, "When I was little, I had an idea to one day time travel. At that age, you believe anything to be possible, so I started reading up on the subject. As time went on, I never got the notion that what I was doing was seen as completely absurd to most people and continued delving deeper and deeper into my research."

"My main references came from the work of Doctors Edgar Howard, Scott Wilson, and Henry Ericson. The three of them had worked together to formulate this equation, but they could never find the correct values to make it actually work." I gave a slight pause in my explanation so I could start writing down the next step in solving the equation before continuing my story, "You see, their problem was that the variables they got were too big to work for their model. They needed to think smaller and scale everything else down accordingly."

An even longer silence passed between us as I carried on with the math problem I had solved a hundred times, and within a couple of minutes, I had the answer I was looking for and looped a large circle around it to make it stand out, "And this was the value that told me that time travel would be possible under these conditions." Letting out a quiet sigh, I capped the pen I had been using while maintaining my focus on the sheet of paper, "Unfortunately, the equation never took into account what kind of stress the human body would be put under in order for someone to endure that trip."

"What do you mean?" Santana quietly asked, as if she were afraid of my answer.

Looking up at her, I force a small smile. "Turns out time travel takes a little bit of a toll on your body, especially if you're planning to go round trip," I replied, raising my hand up to gently tap my sternum.

"Your heart?"

"Yep, which is why I've only taken Bruiser on one trip," I informed, nodding my head towards the large machine. "It's also why I decommissioned it and have never shown it to anyone. Well, except my immediate family and, of course, now you."

"So, how exactly do I fit into all this? I mean, I get the impression that you're telling me all this for a reason," she inferred, and when I failed to meet her gaze, she added, "You saw something about me, didn't you?"

Giving a noncommittal shrug, I maintained my focus on the ground as I clarified, "More like about _us_."

And that was the straw that broke the camel's back.

After a long moment of tense silence, Santana suddenly spoke up, saying, "O-Okay, I, uh-I think I've reached my limit of new information for the evening. I, uh, I think I need to-"

Snapping my eyes up towards her, I noticed her searching for the right words to say as she took a small step back.

_No, this is wrong. This is all wrong._

"I'm just going to-"

There was another pause, followed by another step back.

_Crap, I need to say something. What in the world can I do make her stay?_

"Walk. I think I need to take a walk and process all this. I'll be back. I just need-I'm sorry," she apologized as she began to back further and further away from me.

_Wait, don't go. Please don't leave._

Those were the words I wanted to say, but nothing ever came. I just stood there, completely frozen, as I watched her spin around and dart back up the stairs. Each step she took had been like a blow to the chest, but there was nothing I could do to stop her. I had to give her this. It was the least I could do after keeping all that I had from her.

I did this to myself.

By simply peeking into the future, I had unintentionally caused my own downfall.

If this plan didn't work and the future I once saw turns out to be a fluke, then it is all on me.

* * *

I'm not sure how long I had been sitting there staring at the large machine standing before me. All I knew is that I had been seated on the cold basement floor since shortly after Santana left, doing everything I could to prevent myself from making the few changes it would take to get the machine up and running again.

The irrational part of my brain was pleading for me to reactivate it so I could go back and change all this, while the rational side knew it'd be a futile endeavor.

It's not like my body could take another trip without me taking the proper precautions, anyways. Sure, I figured out the missing part of the equation long ago, but that doesn't mean I ever went back to make the proper adjustments to make Bruiser safer to use. That would have taken time that I didn't consider to be productive until now.

So instead, I just sat and waited. I wasn't quite sure what I was waiting for, but I suppose I finally got my answer when I suddenly heard the faint creaking of the basement door and light foot-steps leading down to where I was.

"Dad, I found her. She's down here."

Realizing that I didn't have it in me to make the drive home, I pushed myself up from the cold cement floor and began making my way up to the solitude of my old bedroom, only pausing to whisper a quiet, "You were right, Hailey. You always are," as I past my sister on the stairs.

I could feel her following me up the steps, begging me to stop, but I ignored her. I knew what she wanted. She wanted me to explain what happened, but I couldn't. I had already done enough talking for one night, and all I wanted to do now was be alone.

So instead, I locked myself up in my childhood bedroom, crawled under the covers of my old bed, and allowed my body to curl in on itself as I succumbed to the kind of tears that only heartbreak can bring, all the while thinking one thing.

_I love her._

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Okay, so I'll just say that I definitely did not intend to come back on this note, but that's just what the story demanded so I rolled with it._

_By the way, I just have to mention that I went to a Fleetwood Mac concert during my absence, which was basically the greatest thing I have ever experienced. I grew up listening to their music, and they have always been one of my favorite bands, even before Brittana came along to add to my love for them, so I just basically had the time of my life. I also got to listen to "Landslide" and "Songbird" live and bought a Songbird t-shirt that has lyrics on it and everything... Gosh, I love it! Haha._

_Anyways, thank you all taking the time to read this chapter, and I hope to see you all again soon!_


	11. Landslide

_I will never forget the overwhelming elation I felt after my time jump back to the present. Despite the sheer exhaustion I felt as I stepped back out of the time machine, I still forced myself to stay up late into the night so I could properly document everything I had seen while it was still fresh in my mind._

_From that day forward, I did everything I possibly could to ensure that the future I had seen would become a reality. __I built my life around that one dream and hoped against hope that everything would turn out the way I'd been told._

_As long as I had that, I knew I'd be happy._

* * *

I woke up the following morning both exhausted and a little disoriented. Rubbing my tired, puffy eyes with the back of my hand, I slowly glanced around my childhood bedroom, trying to remember exactly how I got there. For the briefest moment, my mind entertained the idea that the previous night had all been a dream. That I was back in high school and I hadn't completely ruined everything with Santana. Those thoughts were immediately thwarted, however, after realizing I was still wearing the same clothes from the night before.

Releasing a defeated huff through gritted teeth, I rolled over to bury my face into the soft pillow below as I fought back the tears that were springing to my eyes. I honestly can't remember how many times I had cried since the night before. What I can say, however, is that I absolutely hated it.

I hated the weight of uncertainty I felt pressing down on my chest. I hated not knowing where Santana and I now stood. I hated even considering the fact that we might not even be an 'us' anymore. I just-I hated the entire situation and wished nothing more than to be able to change it, but I knew I couldn't. The ball was in Santana's court, and I needed to respect that and give her the time and space she needed to decide where the two of us would go from there. I already knew what I wanted, but before all else, I wanted her to be happy.

That was the most important thing to me at that point.

Letting out another small sigh, I pushed myself up off the bed and blinked away the unshed tears as I retrieved the discarded shoes I had kicked off during the night. After slipping them on, I straightened the jacket I was still wearing and took a deep breath before cracking open the bedroom door and making my way downstairs.

I kept my gaze lowered as I made my way into the kitchen where everyone was gathered for breakfast. It didn't take me long to notice the absence of laughter or early morning chatter that was usually found at our family meals. Instead, there was just an eerie silence that somehow only seemed to get quieter as everyone became aware of my presence. Unable to look anyone in the face, I quietly mumbled, "I just wanted to let you know that I'm going home. I'll be sure to check in soon."

I had just taken a small step back to leave when I suddenly heard my sister's voice call out, "Wait, Britt. Hold on."

Looking over towards the table where she was seated, I felt my eyes widen as I noticed who was sitting beside her.

_Santana._

"I-I've got to go," I quickly stuttered as I quickly stumbled back out of the room and away from the woman I'd been in love with for as long as I could remember. There was a sudden squeaking of a dining chair against the kitchen floor, followed by a rush of footsteps, but that didn't stop my beeline towards the door. It wasn't until I felt a hand on my arm that I was finally forced to halt my footsteps.

"Brittany, wait!"

Turning around, I found Hailey standing there with a somber look on her face. Unable to continue looking at her subdued expression, I shifted my focus to the old rug partially covering the wood flooring beneath my feet and muttered, "I need to go home. Layla's probably wondering where I am."

"Britt, please. Aren't you curious to find out why she's here?"

Her question was met with silence as I maintained my downward gaze. It was already taking everything in me to keep my emotions in check, and I was fairly certain that any attempt at speaking would completely shatter my resolve.

My sister, however, seemed to take my lack of leaving as answer enough as she allowed her shoulders to slump forward slightly and continued to softly explain, "We came home at about two o'clock this morning to find Santana a cold, sobbing mess on the steps of the front porch. While Dad and I left to go find you, Mom stayed behind with her to try to figure out what happened. Britt, it took her nearly an hour of coaxing before Santana finally agreed to come inside to warm up."

That statement got my attention as I instantly snapped my eyes up to her and asked, "What? Why?"

"Because she feels terrible about leaving you down in the basement alone. You are the last person she'd ever want to hurt, and yet she still managed to do just that," she explained as she ducked her head a little in an attempt to meet my eyes. "Her and I have been in there for the past three hours going over the science _you_ discovered because she's trying to understand. She wants to know what happened and how it happened as best as she can so that nothing is lost between the two of you."

There was a long silence that passed as she let me take in everything she had said. Unfortunately, her admission only worked to make me feel worse about the entire situation that I had force Santana into. I couldn't stand thinking about how I had to put her through this and made her feel guilty about what happened the night before. All I wanted to do was go back and change everything I had done, but I couldn't. I was stuck.

"I-I really do need to go. Layla's waiting for her morning walk," I insisted as I slowly turned to continue my path towards the front door, but then I heard another voice cut in.

"Mind if I join you?" Santana suddenly called out as she made her presence known. Spinning back around, I looked over to find Santana cautiously peeking out of the kitchen as she added, "I'm sure Del is itching for a chance to get out of the house, too."

I don't think I'll ever forget the way she looked in that moment. It hurt me to see her so tired and so very, very sad, yet even with the subtle bags under her red-rimmed yes, she was still the most beautiful thing I had ever laid eyes on. In that moment, I hated myself for causing the vibrancy of her eyes to dim and refused to let myself deny her anything after everything I had put her through. So instead, I just mumbled out a feeble, "That's fine. Let's go," while giving a slight nod towards the door.

* * *

We arrived at the park nearly an hour later with Layla and me just a step behind San and Del as we made our way over from the parking lot.

Normally, we would walk from Santana's house since she lived only a few blocks away, but I decided it'd be best to have a way to quickly leave in case things didn't go well during our expected talk. If we had trekked all the way to the park, then we both would have had to make the trip all the way back to her house, and I honestly didn't even want to consider having to put either of us through that sort of ordeal. So, I chose to drive instead, despite Santana's obvious confusion to our change in routine.

Once we were inside the gates of the dog park, we let the pups off their leashes so we could have some time to talk alone while they played with the other dogs. The only problem was that Layla didn't immediately take off like she normally would. Instead, she continued to look up towards me with a concerned expression while Del excitedly sprinted away from where we stood.

This dog, I swear, has always been too perceptive for her own good.

"Layla, go play with Del," I mumbled to her as I made a shooing motion with my hand, but she only sat down in front of me and made a small whimpering noise. I don't know if it was the lack of sleep or the way things had been going for me since the night before, but I instantly became frustrated with the dog and growled out, "Layla. _Go!_"

Tears almost instantly started welling in my eyes as I watched Lay cower down at my feet but still refused to leave my side. Unable to continue looking at her, I stormed off towards our usual bench, feeling her and Santana's eyes on me the whole way over.

I took my seat at the far end of the bench, knowing Santana would take her normal seat that the center like we would on any other day. From out of the corner of my eyes, I could see them each cautiously making their way over to me, both unsure of whom I'd lash out at next. The thing is, I didn't want to lash out. I just wanted to go back to the way things were before, and the reality that it was practically impossible for that to happen had unsettled me to no end.

Neither of us made any move to talk once she was seated on the bench. Instead, we just sat there silently watching Delgado run around the open field for a while Layla laid curled up at my feet.

"Britt," Santana suddenly called out after about half an hour of us sitting there, causing my body to slightly jolt in surprise. Knowing she had my attention, she asked, "Brittany, do you think we could maybe talk about last night?"

Hearing her question, I felt a fresh round of tears pricking my eyes and glanced down at Layla, who instantly picked up her head to look at me. Just then, Del came trotting up and plopped himself down next to his best friend, finally realizing she wasn't going to come play with him. Briefly glancing between the two dogs, I gritted my teeth and hung my head.

"No, San. Please, not yet. Not with the ki-" I quietly begged before abruptly stopping myself myself mid-sentence to reword my thoughts. "Not with Layla and Del here. I just-I can't."

I couldn't do it. I couldn't have this talk with her while the_ kids_, as I had recently taken to calling them, were sitting there watching us.

Damn it, I hated this.

"Oh, okay," she responded dejectedly as she looked down at her lap. "Can we, um-Can we maybe go, then? You know, since it doesn't look like the pups are up for playing today. We can maybe let them out into the backyard or something until we're done talking."

Knowing I needed to stop avoiding the inevitable, I quietly answered, "Yeah, sure. We can go. Which house?"

"Either one is fine with me."

"Okay, we can go back to yours if you want. You know, since it's closer and all," I suggest, shifting my focus over in her direction to gauge her reaction.

She instantly glanced back up at me with a hopeful look, giving a quick nod of her head as she answered, "Yes, of course. Anything you want to do is fine with me."

"Alright, then I guess we should go then," I reply as I push myself up off the bench and start leading us back towards the car with our two dogs in tow.

* * *

I was seated at Santana's dining room table, staring out the large bay window before me as I waited for the woman in question to return. We had been back for only a few minutes now. Just enough time for her to let us inside and ask if I wanted anything to drink as she made her way over to let the dogs out into the backyard. I immediately took her up on her offer, to which she quickly responded with a nod before making her way over to the kitchen.

"Here, Britt. I made some hot chocolate to help warm us up," San informed as she placed a mug in front of me. The same one she had decorated for me as part of a date night a few months before.

Lifting my fingers up slightly, I absentmindedly traced them across the scarlet and grey letters of my name written out in her neat handwriting, only pausing when I reached the little paw print dotting the '_i'_ in my name. "Thanks, San," I respond as I look up towards her with a small, grateful smile.

"No problem," she whispered with a barely-there smile as she took the spot across from me, gently setting her own decorated mug down on the table in the process. One with her name written out in maize and blue.

These were the mugs we used anytime we drank hot beverages at San's house, and I couldn't help but wonder if this would be our the last time using them.

Letting out a small sigh at the thought, I looked up at the woman in front of me to find her already looking back and instantly darted my eyes away from her to peer outside, instead. There was a long pause as we both sat there, watching Layla and Delgado happily playing around in the yard, when a thought suddenly popped into my head.

"Would the pups still be able to see one another if we were to break up?" I unintentionally wondered out loud, causing Santana to flick her gaze over in my direction with a wide-eyed expression.

"You want to break up?" she blurted out in a trembling voice.

"What? No, of course not. I was just curious," I respond as I looked down at the table once more, nervously fiddling with the cup between my hands as I cautiously asked, "Why? Do you?"

"No, not at all," she firmly answered without a second thought.

Her reply instantly put my entire being at ease as I brought a hand to my chest and released a long, drawn out breath I felt like I had been holding in since the night before, airily whispering out, "Oh, thank God!"

Her eyes instantly scrunched up in confusion. "You thought I was going to break up with you?"

"Well, what was I supposed to think after what happened last night?" I inquired as I shifted my focus back up towards her just in time to see her flinch at the question. Feeling I had come across a little stronger than I had intended, I quickly explained, "I mean, I completely understand why you left. Don't get me wrong. I just-I honestly didn't know what to think when you never came back, so I guess I just assumed the worst."

"Britt-Britt, no," she reaffirmed with a deep frown and shake of her head as she brought up a hand and rubbed at her brow. "Shit, I've too busy thinking about how _you_ were probably going to break up with _me_ that I hadn't even thought of how my actions might have looked from your perspective. I-I would _never_, Britt. I need you to know that."

"Okay, I believe you," I replied honestly, though I was still finding it a bit hard to wrap my head around the fact that we both still wanted to try to work through this.

Santana stared at me for a long moment, trying to get a read on the sincerity of my previous statement. She must have eventually found her answer because she visibly relaxed and gave a slight nod of her head that seems to be more for her benefit than it was mine. "Okay, good. So, since we both now know that neither of us want to break up, do you think we maybe talk a little about last night?" she carefully edged out.

And so I did.

Now that she knew my biggest secret, I found it relatively easy to be upfront with her about everything else, from the early days spend watching my dad tinker around in the basement to that very first trip to the planetarium. From collecting parts in the junk yard to years spent researching alone in the library. From befriending Quinn to my days as a Cheerio. From my impulsive trip to the future to my inevitable bouts with heart problems.

We both sat there for the best part of two hours discussing all the ins and outs of my time traveling, with me filling in all the blanks Hailey wasn't able to do during her explanation earlier that morning. After working through the more serious subject matter, the conversation eventually shifted to a more relaxed, lighthearted tone. Santana even started getting a little playful with her questions, much to my relief.

"Alright, so back to the subject of our alleged marriage, since you keep saying _future us_ got hitched but refuse to give me any sort of details on the matter," she teased with a sly grin as she looked at me with challenging eyes. "Who asked who?"

"Asked who what?" I questioned coyly as I made my way over to the living room couch after letting the dogs back in, realizing that the main serious part of our conversation had thankfully passed.

"Oh, you know exactly what I'm talking about, Britt!" San playfully chided as she followed me into the room. "Who proposed?"

"Mm, classified," I hummed out while doing my best to suppress the grin that was threatening to spread across my lips as I plopped down on the couch.

"Aw, you're no fun. This is the tenth question you've said _classified_ to," the brunette groaned as she sat down beside me, placing a hand on the top of my thigh to help support her as she leaned in towards me.

"Actually, it's only been eight, and I have already warned you that I wasn't going to answer any of those types of questions in fear that they might upset the space-time continuum," I joked while involuntarily tilting my body forwards toward her.

"Like I said: no fun," San teased back.

"Yeah, yeah. How does it feel knowing you are dating a complete bore?"

"Well, I wouldn't go as far as saying you're _completely_ boring. I mean, you are pretty awesome in bed, after all."

I instantly felt my brow raise at her comment. "Oh, is that right?"

"Yeah, plus you get me free puppy swag for Del, like flea and heartworm prevention, which is also a pretty sweet deal."

"And don't forget his discounted food, baths, and annual vaccines," I listed off the top of my head.

"Yes, exactly! Thank you!" Santana exclaimed a little too enthusiastically to be considered enitrely truthful, causing me to roll my eyes. Releasing a small giggle at my response, Santana added, "Plus, you're super caring and loving and basically everything I've ever wanted out of a lifelong gal pal."

I felt my eyes instantly bug out at her comment as I gave her shoulder a light shove and practically shouted, "Oh my God, San! Please tell me you did _not_ just refer to me as your gal pal!"

"Oh, you don't like that one?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "Okay, how about super-mega-foxy-awesome-hot girlfriend and future wifey?"

"Now, that's more like it," I purred out in a voice just above a whisper.

"Good because I thought so, too," Santana agreed as she slipped a hand behind my neck and brought our lips together.

The kiss heated up quickly as we each became more and more needy, and before either of us knew it, San had somehow made it onto her back with her hand dragging mine up under her shirt to cover a bra-clad breast. Just as we were about to take things a little further, there was a sudden small bark beside us. Pausing our sweet lady kisses, I pulled away to find Layla and Del staring at us with their heads cocked to the side in a curious manner.

"Um, San," I lightly giggled out, glancing back down at Santana, who was still in a bit of a daze. "I think the pups are trying to tells us something."

Letting her head slowly loll to the side, she took a minute to assess the situation before allowing a small frown to appear. "Ugh, damn dogs. I was really looking forward to finally experiencing make-up sex with you," Santana grumbled as she allowed me to help her back into a seated position before her eyes suddenly widened in panic. Snapping her gaze up towards me, she quickly amended, "Not that our normal sex isn't already out of this world because, like I said earlier, you're kind of amazing at the horizontal tango. Probably all those years of dancing you did in the past, to be honest. At least, that's my theory, but-"

"Okay, Baby, I think you've made your point," I quickly cut in before she could continue with her nervous ramblings while giving her a light kiss on the lips. "Either way, we'll have plenty of time for all that later on when the kiddos aren't around. For now, let's just simmer down and maybe put on a movie? That sound okay?"

"Sounds perfect."

"Okay, let's see what they want to watch," I replied as I glanced over at the two dogs who were still staring at us. "What are you two in the mood to see? The Fox and the Hound?" I asked, causing the dogs' ears to perk up before they started barking and excitedly bouncing around the room.

"Okay, alright! We'll watch the damn Fox and the Hound! Now, calm down!" Santana laughed as she pushed herself up off the couch and attempted to walk over to the television without getting tripped up by the pups.

* * *

I awoke sometime later to the soft patter of rain on the window.

Blinking my eyes awake, I slowly glanced around at my surroundings to find the television displaying the main menu of the DVD while the dogs fast asleep in their beds on the floor in front of us. Shifting my gaze from the kids to the woman who was curled up into my side, I couldn't help the smile I felt tugging at my lips as I leaned in and placed a gentle kiss to the top of her head. I kept my eyes on her as I allowed my head to rest against the back of the couch, deciding to let myself wake up a little before getting up.

Eventually, I felt awake enough to be able to carry San to her bedroom and carefully sliding myself out from beneath her so I could stand up. Slipping a hand around her back and beneath her legs, I slowly picked her up bridal style and carefully made my way down the hall and into the room. After gently placing her down on the bed and tucking her in, I took a moment to smooth a stray hair before quietly making my way back over to the door to leave.

"Stay," I heard San suddenly rasp out, her voice heavy with sleep.

Turning around, I assured, "Don't worry. I know how much you hate me driving in the rain. I was just going to grab a blanket from the hall closet and set up a little place on the couch or somethi-"

"No, I mean stay _here,_" she stressed. "Sleep with me."

"I don't know, San. Are you sure?"

"Yes, Baby, I'm more than sure. Please stay with me."

With her consent, I slowly slipped under the covers while being sure to stay on my side of the bed. After a brief moment of us just lying there, however, San started to scoot her way toward me. Rolling over onto my side, I shot her a curious look and watched as she gently grasp my hands in hers to bring them up around her torso.

"S-San, I-"

"You can hold me, Britt. It's okay. I promise," she groggily mumbled out before a look realization flashed across her eyes as they widened slightly. "Unless you're not comfortable with this."

"No, of course I am," I reassured as I wrapped my arms more firmly around her, bringing her a little closer to me in the process. "Sorry, I just didn't want to assume anything."

"It's alright, Britt. Just know that everything from before still stands and that this whole time-travel thing hasn't changed anything between us, okay? I still love you very, very much and would very much like to continue doing this life thing with you because I truly believe the same things as I did before," she informed before taking a deep breath and admitting, "To be completely honest, I've always felt like we were going to make it. This only confirms it."

"Aw, San," I muttered as tears clouded my vision. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Britt-Britt. Don't ever forget that," she whispered, giving me one last peck on the lips before nuzzling her nose into the hollow of my neck as she got ready to go to sleep with me not far behind.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_First and foremost, I just wanted to apologize for making everyone wait so long after the cliffhanger I left off on last chapter. It was never my intention for that to happen, but you know... Life._

_Anyways, thank you all so very much for sticking with me all this time. I appreciate it more than words can say. That being said, I would like to announce that this will be second to last chapter for this fic, excluding the epilogue. If you're saddened by that fact, don't fret! I'm fairly sure there will be a sequel-of-sorts that will eventually come. It just might take a little while. _

_Oh, and there might also be another little sequel-of-sorts in the works for one of my other past fics, which I am extremely excited for! It's probably my favorite verse I've written for, besides this one, so I'm really excited to get back writing for it again!_

_Again, thank you all so much for everything. Your continued interests in these stories is what helps keeps me going, so I just can't thank you enough!_

_Hope you all have a lovely day and that I get to see you all next time for the last chapter before the epilogue!_

_lochnessie17. tumblr. com_


	12. Songbird

Waking up beside San was honestly the best thing ever, especially after everything we had been though since my New Year's Eve confession. As we each slowly began to stir in the early morning hours, we somehow managed to sink further into one another underneath her thick comforter. Her back pressing more firmly into my front. Threaded fingers pulling my arms more securely around her waist. My face buried in her messy bedhair.

Everything was perfect. That is, until we heard a sudden pawing at her bedroom door that broke the peaceful ambiance surrounding us, followed by a very distinct bark.

"Looks like little Delibird's awake," I sluggishly mumbled out with a small, knowing smirk as I playfully nudged her shoulder with my own. "Better go let your son out before he _really_ starts causing a ruckus."

"Mm, before sunrise, he's your son," she hummed out just as Del started scratching at the door again, this time accompanied by a loud round whimpering.

"Oh, yeah?" I quietly giggled out in a challenging tone. "Well, okay, _Mufasa_. Let me get up, then, so I can let him out."

"No," Santana grumbled as soon as I attempted to unravel myself from around her, flipping over so she could bury her face into my chest and effectively pin me to the bed. "Don't go," she begged, her groggy voice slightly muffled by the shirt I was wearing.

I couldn't help but laugh at how cute she was being as I reasoned, "Babe, you know I'm going to have to get up eventually, especially since not all of us are lucky enough to have the rest of the week off from work."

"I know," she unwillingly conceded as she pushing herself up to hover over me. Looking down with a soft expression, she then whispered out a sweet, "Love you."

"I love you, too, Sleeping Beauty," I replied as I leaned up on my elbows to press our lips together in a brief morning kiss. "Now, let's get up so we can spend some time together before I have to leave."

"Okay, I'll go fire up the stove while you take your shower," she informed with a loving grin as she crawled off the bed with as much vigor as her tired, half-asleep body would allow before a cup of coffee.

As expected, there was already a pot brewing as I made my way into the kitchen about ten minutes later. Glancing around the room, I found Santana pulling out a huge container of old-fashioned oats from her cabinet and started making my way over to her.

She must have noticed my presence because she quickly flicked her gaze over to me as she shut the pantry doors and informed, "I still have no idea why you love this stuff so much."

"Well, Dad used to make oatmeal for us all the time growing up. Plus, it's good for your heart."

"Hm, I guess those are justifiable reasons," she jokingly acknowledged as she walked over to the stove and started pouring the oats into a pot of water. "I still prefer waffles and bacon, though."

"I know you do," I chuckled out as I pressed quick kiss to her temple, carefully reaching around to turn on the proper burner in the process. "Thank you for buying me a new box, by the way. I've been meaning to run by the store to grab one."

"No problem, Babe. I know how much you love your oats," she replied as she stirred the contents of the pot.

Once I was done eating, I looked over at the clock and realized I needed to get back to my morning routine. Wrapping one of San's hands up in mine, I brought it up to my lips and gave the back of her knuckles a gentle kiss, silently thanking her for breakfast, before standing up from the dining room table so I could leave to get ready.

It was weird not having Santana beside me as I spread a thin line of toothpaste across the bristles of the toothbrush I kept in her bathroom. I had grown so accustomed to us sharing a morning routine that it almost felt odd going at it alone while in her house. Sure, brushing your teeth is a bit monotonous in the grand scheme of things, but that's what I loved about it. It had become such an ordinary thing for us to do and was most definitely something I looked forward to hopefully sharing with her someday.

Shaking my head to break myself out of my daydream, I suddenly realized that it was almost time to leave the safe bubble we had found ourselves in since the night before. Everything had been so wonderful, and I couldn't help but wonder if anything would change one we were forced to return to our normal, everyday lives.

Doing my best to suppress the bit of uncertainty still lurking in the back of my mind, I chose to instead focus solely on the task at hand as I quickly spat out the toothpaste and rinsed my mouth. After replacing the brush in the holder, I left the bathroom to grab a pair of socks before slipping on my shoes by the door.

"Here, let me help you with your coat, Britt," Santana offered as she retrieved the article of clothing from off the coat rack. Holding it open for me, I carefully slipped my arms inside and jostled the sides a bit to get it more comfortable around my shoulders before zipping it up. "And here's your scarf and beanie," she added as she pulled the scarf around my neck and tugged the beanie over the top of my head. Just then, she looked up at me, and her face dropped.

"Hey, what's wrong?" she asked with a concerned tone, somehow knowing something was off with me.

"Nothing."

"Babe, please don't lie to me. What's the matter?" Watching me suddenly start to tear up, Santana must have realized what was going on in my head because she gently placed her hands on both sides of my face and assured, "Hey, hey. It's okay, Britt. We're going to be alright. I'll still be here whenever you're done, okay?"

"Okay."

"Do you want me to come over after you get off?" she asked, to which I immediately gave a slow, timid nod in response as she lightly traced the pads of her thumbs across the sides of my cheeks. "Okay, then just text me when you're leaving, and I'll be there waiting for you when you get home," she confirmed with reassuring grin, running her thumbs over my skin a few more times before returning her hands to her sides.

"Thanks, San," I shyly mumbled out with a small smile of my own before turning towards my dog, who was laying next to Delgado on his bed. "Come on, Lay. Let's head out."

I could almost feel San rolling her eyes at me, knowing I had every intention of bringing her to my parents' house like I would on any other day. "Just leave her. I'm sure Del would love to have someone else here to hang out with," she immediately insisted.

"You sure?"

"Britt, do you really need me to answer that question?"

"I guess no."

"You _guess _no?"

"No, I know no."

"That's more like it. Now, here's your lunch," she informed as she held out a paper sack and gave me a quick peck on the cheek. "Have a good day, Britt-Britt."

"I'll do my best," I teased, leaning in for one last kiss before heading out the door.

* * *

The day after a major holiday is always a busy one at the clinic, and the second day of the year was no exception. We were absolutely slammed from the minute we opened the doors, and I barely had a moment to breathe the whole morning.

It wasn't until lunchtime that I finally had a chance to retreat to my desk, sliding out the peanut butter and banana sandwich San had packed for me. I had just taken my first delicious bite when Jessica, our phones person of the day, peeked her head inside my office.

"Hey, Dr. Pierce! Your sister called. She wanted you to just call her whenever you got a chance."

"Alright. Thanks, Jess," I responded with a small wave, letting her know that she could return to her desk before retrieving my phone from out of my purse so I could call Hailey back.

After a few rings, my sister voice came over the receiver, greeting with a curious, "Hey, Sis! Busy day?"

"Yeah, I actually just got back in from a bunch of in-rooms. I swear every single one of my appointments today are animals with upset stomachs."

"Well, tell the owners that their pets wouldn't be experiencing so many gastrointestinal issues if they'd stop feeding them so many table scraps during the holidays."

"I've tried. Doesn't work," I replied with a laugh. "Anyways, what's up?"

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay after everything that's happened the past few days, but from the way you sound, I assume everything's good between you and Santana?"

"Yep. Better than expected, actually."

"That's awesome, Britt! I'm so happy to hear that," she exclaimed before giving a slight pause. Heaving a small sigh, she continued, "Look, about what happened on Christmas Eve. I, um-I know I went about everything the wrong way and took things too far, but I really did have good intentions. I just wanted to make sure you knew that, and I really hope I didn't push you into doing something you weren't ready for."

Quirking my brow at her uncharacteristic apology, I cautiously inquired, "Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my sister?"

"Hey, I'm trying to being serious here, Jerk!"

"Well, you shouldn't. Doesn't suit you," I teased before returning to a more earnest tone. "I know your intentions were good, Hails, and I'm sorry for yelling at you, even though you _kind of_ deserved it. Regardless, you still got me thinking and provided the little push I needed to finally come clean with San, so thank you."

"I'm not sure if I should say _you're welcome_ or _I'm sorry_ again, but either way, I really am glad everything worked out between the two of you."

"I honestly couldn't agree more," I chuckled out while glancing down at the clock located in the bottom corner of my computer screen. "Anyways, I should probably go. I still have to finish eating lunch and get caught up on all my exam notes before my hour's up."

"Good luck with that. Talk to you later, Britt!"

"Kay. Bye, Hailey."

* * *

True to her word, Santana was already at my house waiting for me when I got home that evening. As I pulled up into the driveway, I saw her car parked in its normal spot beside mine, and I couldn't help but think about how perfect it felt to have it parked there, like that's where it was meant to be.

Not allowing myself to get too wrapped up in my musings, I grabbed my things and slid out of the car to make my way inside, knowing my girl was already in there waiting for me since San already had her own key to the house by that time. (Not that she wouldn't still be able to figure out where the spare was hidden since I'm apparently still horrible at finding good hiding spots, but I digress.)

Opening the front door with my free hand, I walked in to catch a whiff of something delicious drifting over from the kitchen and walked over to see what it was. "Hey, I'm home," I called out with a small grin as I spotted her over by oven, checking on whatever was inside.

Looking up towards me, she quickly closed the oven door and made her way across the room to meet me, cheerfully greeting me with a soft, "Hey, Baby! How was your day?"

"Not too bad. Can't really complain, " I answered honestly as I felt her begin to softly trace her fingertips across the backs of my forearms. "How was yours?"

"Can't complain," she repeated playful as she slid her hands down to thread her fingers between mine, adding, "Hope you don't mind me borrowing your kitchen to make dinner, by the way."

"No, of course not. What'cha got cookin', good lookin'?"

Shooting me her signature _Really, Britt?_ look, she let out a small giggle and responded, "Nothing much. Just steak, mashed potatoes, and steamed veggies."

"Oh my goodness, San!" I gleefully moaned out at the thought. "That sound absolutely amazing right now!"

"Well, don't get too excited. It's not quite ready yet," she teased as she started leading me out to my back patio, where I assume she had previously been sitting since she had a glass of wine sitting out on the small table next to the porch swing. As we got settled and started to rock back and forth, she commented, "I've always meant to tell you how much I love sitting out here. It's so peaceful."

"Yeah, it was one of my favorite features about the house when I first checked it out, though I've actually been dying to do a bit of landscaping back here," I divulged, motioning to the large, open yard in front of us.

"Well, why haven't you then?"

"I guess you can say I've been waiting for the right time." Suddenly feeling my mouth go dry, I licked my lips nervously and added, "When I went to the future, I heard we had this big, nice house with plenty of room for as many new additions as we'd ever want, whether it be dogs or cats or, you know, otherwise."

Glancing down briefly, I tried to gauge how Santana was taking all this new information. Seeing that she didn't seem too freaked out by it, I continued, "For years, I would go running around town and jokingly try to figure out which house would one day be ours. Then, this house went up on the market, and I just _knew_. So after a lot of negotiating, I was finally able to talk them down to a price I could afford and moved in. Other then that, I've mostly been waiting for you to be okay with all this before doing any kind of remodeling."

"You didn't have to wait for me to do all that," Santana replied with a small frown, clearly upset that I put my plans on hold for her.

"I know. I just thought it'd be nice to do it together. That way we could each have some input and make it a home for both of us."

"But you know I don't care about that stuff. All I care about is us being together."

Feeling a hopeful smile tug at my lips, I cautiously asked, "So, does that mean you're okay with this place? Because I'm totally open to us finding somewhere else."

Giving me a sweet smile of her own, she shook her head and answered, "No, we don't need to worry about finding another house. I like this one just fine."

"Well then with that being said, I just wanted to let you know that this house was always meant to be just as much yours as it is mine, so you can most certainly feel free to move in whenever you'd like. Of course, it doesn't have to be today or tomorrow or a week from now or whatever. I just want you to know that the offer is on the table if and when you're ready."

"Oh, so all the times you told me to make myself at home? That was supposed to be taken literally?"

Releasing a loud laugh, I instantly nodded my head and confirmed, "Yes. Very much so."

She sat there for a minute, staring at me with a broad grin spread across her face, before resting her head on my shoulder, looking out at the yard as she conceded, "Okay, then I guess you better start filling me in on all these big landscaping plans you've been holding out on."

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Surprise! Bet you didn't expect another one of these so soon, did you? Haha._

_Actually, I randomly decided to start working on this chapter yesterday, and then somehow managed to get it all written by today. Either way, here's the final chapter before the epilogue, which I'm also pretty darn excited for!_

_Until next time!_

_lochnessie17. tumblr. com_


	13. Epilogue: The Scientist

_There are an endless number of reasons why I love Brittany Susan Lopez-Pierce, which is probably mostly due to the fact that s__he is honestly the most beautiful person I've ever met, both inside and out. _

_I love how she can be both smart and sexy while still somehow managing to stay playful and carefree._

_I love how she is strong in every way a person can be strong, whether it be emotionally, mentally, or physically. Not only that but she also has this air about her that is contagious, making everyone around her feel stronger just by association._

_I love how she never kills anything if she doesn't have to, no matter how small. If she runs across a little insect or spider inside the house, she usually just finds a way to pick it up and let it go outside._

_I love how she enjoys doing little things that most people would probably never notice, like holding the door open for random people and always tipping the servers at restaurants well, even when they provide terrible service._

_I love how she tucks the covers around me we're cuddling in bed. It's something her dad used to do when she was little to help make her feel safe at night, and she always tells me that she wants me to feel the same way._

_I love how despite her not dancing in real life, Brittany still dances in her dreams. Literally. I can't tell you how many times I have been randomly woken up in the middle of the night after one of her dance moves turns into a kick in the leg or an arm thrown across my face. Still, it's all so totally worth it._

_I love how well she knows me, like how I am always super grouchy before my first cup of coffee._

_Most importantly, I love how Brittany loves. She's a lover through and through, and when she loves something, she does it with her whole heart. It doesn't matter if it is her friends, her family, or the animals she cares for on a daily basis. If she loves something, she will love it unconditionally._

_There is no love like her love, and I am lucky enough to experience the full force of that love every single morning I wake up. Every single evening when I get home from work. Every single night before we go to bed. On the weekends when we are sharing a lazy day in bed. At holiday gatherings with our families. __I get to share every moment with this woman, even when we are not together._

_She is my soulmate, and this life we've built together-It's honestly what dreams are made of._

* * *

"Hi, Babe. Just wanted to let you know I'm here," I informed into the receiver of the cellphone pressed between my shoulder and ear as I removed the key from the deadbolt and slipped it back into the mailbox where I had found it.

These Pierces, I swear. At least I now knew Brittany's inability to properly hide a key was partially due to her parents' inability to properly hide a key.

"Hey, sorry but I actually got a little caught up with something at work, so I'll be running just a little bit late. Go ahead and start without me, and I'll be there as soon as I can," Brittany replied as I watched our three knucklehead pups and their Uncle Dakota came running up to meet me.

"Are you sure? I mean, I still feel kind of weird being at your parents' house alone," I admitted as I walked into the kitchen and opened one of the French doors to let the dogs outside.

"San, I promise it's going to be okay. My parents already told all their nosy neighbors that we would be taking care of Dakota while they are on their annual ski trip, so no one is going to call the cops on you," Brittany teased with a light chuckle before switching to a more encouraging tone as she added, "I'll be there as soon as I can, alright?"

"Alright. See you then," I reluctantly grumbled before hanging up. Once all the dogs had successfully made it outside, I took a moment to watch them happily run around in the yard before shutting the door and making my way over to the laundry room where Britt's parents kept Dakota's food. Just as I was nearing the hall, however, I heard the quiet creaking of the floorboards just outside the doorway and immediately stopped.

Someone else was in the house.

Feeling my heart thumping in my chest, I quickly tiptoed over as quietly as I could and peeked around the corner to find something I didn't expect at all. There, standing a few feet away, was Brittany looking just as shocked as I was.

"What the hell kind of a joke is this? Because whatever it is, it's not-" I shouted out as I stepped into the hallway before feeling all the words escape me. The girl standing before me was much too young to be _my_ Brittany. There was also a clear lack of scarring on her chest that should have been peeking out from the v-collared shirt she was wearing.

_Holy shit._

"Sorry! I must have the wrong house. I mean, this is obviously the right house because this is where the time mach- Uh, I mean, this is-or was, I suppose-where my parents used to live. Anyways, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry!" the young girl sputtered out as she tried to find a way out, not knowing if she should run back down to the basement or leap out the nearest window.

"No, wait!" I suddenly yelled out, trying to keep her from running away. "It's okay, Brittany. You're right. This is still your parent's house."

"It is?" she asked in shock before eyeing me suspiciously. "How do you know? Or better yet, how do you know my name?"

"Because, I-Well, we're-Uh," I stammerd before finally settle on raising my left hand and wiggling my ring finder to help give her an idea of what I was trying to say.

"Woah, hold up. Your my-my-"

"Wife? Yes."

"Oh my God, I married a super model," she mumbled out with a dazed look on her face.

"Actually, I'm a lawyer, but thanks for the complement. Anyways, do you, uh, want to have a seat and maybe talk for a bit? I'm sure you have a few questions to ask me," I replied as I motioned back towards the kitchen.

"Uh, yeah, s-sure," Brittany replied as she slowly edged her way around me and into the room. Following closely behind, I noticed her abruptly stop in her tracks and look around the room as she slowly took everything in. "It's all different," she noted as she eyed the new sleek new cabinets and kitchen appliances littering the room.

"Yeah, your parents did some remodeling a few of years ago. Your mom still refused to let go of that puke green-colored mixer no matter how much your dad begged her, though."

The blonde let out a little chuckle, releasing some of the tension between her shoulders as she responded, "I don't doubt it. She loves that damn thing." Glancing back at me, she carefully added, "So, I assume you already know I'm not from this time."

"Yep, you and I have talked about your time traveling many, many times. How old are you, by the way? You're a senior in high school, right?" I inquired while I tried to recall the age Britt was when she made the time jump as we each took our seats at the table.

"Yeah, I'll be eighteen in a few months. How long have we been married for?"

"It'll be three years this April."

"Wow," she instantly whispered out in awe. "D-Do we have any kids?"

"Nope, no kids. At least, not yet," I answered with a small smirk.

"But we have at least one pet, right?"

Feeling my smile grow, I gave her a firm nod and confirmed, "Yes, we actually have three happy, healthy dogs. One of which you've recently _tricked_ me into getting."

"I tricked you into getting a dog? How?"

"By using your knowledge of the future against me, of course. Then again, I suppose this is all my undoing since I'm the one telling you about him right now. Anyways, we have a Golden Retriever named Layla, who you adopted from an animal shelter right after graduating from ve-I mean, from college," I quickly corrected myself, almost forgetting that she didn't know she was going to be a veterinarian yet. Taking a brief second to regain my footing, I continued, "Then there's Delgado, a black Lab who inadvertently helped us meet. Last but not least, there's Trip the German Shorthaired Pointer. He's the one you tricked me into adopting."

"What the hell kind of a name is Trip?" she questioned with a furrowed brow.

"I know, right?" I agreed with a loud laugh. "That's exactly what I said, but I promise you, he has earned every bit of that name. Trust me."

Giving me a skeptical look, the young blonde slowly conceded, "Okay, I guess I'll just have to take your word on it for now. So, what about Lord Tubbington? Is he-well, you know?"

Noticing the nervous look in her eyes, I quickly assured, "Oh, no! Definitely not. Tubbs is still very much alive and kicking. Present-day you once told me he somehow found the fountain of life and dove right in. To be honest, I'm not quite sure how factual that information actually is, but after learning about all the time traveling and such, I have a hard time believing anything is impossible."

"Oh, good. That's a relief," she airily breathed out as she noticeably relaxed.

We both sat their a little longer, both sharing small details about our lives before Past Britt regrettably told me that it was probably about time for her to head back to her own time. A little saddened by how little I got to speak with her, I carefully inquired, "Would it be okay if I hugged you?"

"Y-Yeah, sure thing," Brittany nervously replied as we each stood up from our chairs.

Walking into her open arms, I pulled her in close and whispered, "You take good care of yourself, okay? I still want to find you in one piece the next time I see you."

"Will do."

"You're going to grow up to do great things, Brittany. Just remember that."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll be _doing _better than just great," she remarked as she pulled away to look me up and down with the same sly smirk I'd seen a hundred times.

"Well, if I didn't believe you were a young Brittany Susan Pierce before, then I most certainly do after _that_ comment. Eyes up here, by the way," I teased after noticing her eyeing my chest. Once I knew I had her full attention again, I added, "Now get your wanky ass back in that time machine before you miss your bedtime, Little Missy."

"Bedtime? Seriously? You do remember I'm in high school, right?" the girl inquired with a slight chuckle as I started pushing her back towards the basement door. Catching the pointed look I shot her way, she quickly amended, "Okay, fine. I'll go right to bed when I get home."

"You better or else you'll be in big trouble the next time I see you."

"And you're calling _me_ wanky? Sounds like a pot-kettle situation if you ask me," she retorted with a cheeky grin and an exaggerated wag of her brow as she made her way down the steps.

"Oh, hush, you! That's not what I meant," I laughed out in response. Raising my voice a little to make sure she heard me, I told her, "Have a safe trip back, Little Britt. Be careful!"

"Yeah, yeah. I'll see ya when I see ya, Future Wifey," Brittany shouted back, throwing one last wave over her shoulder as she disappeared down into the dimly lit basement.

* * *

It wasn't long before the present Brittany came walking through her parent's front door. Upon seeing me, her face instantly lit up as she greeted, "Hey, Babe. How was your day?"

"Why didn't you ever tell me that I was the person you saw?" I instantly spat out before I could think to say anything else.

Already knowing what I was referring to, Brittany gave me a small smile and replied, "Same as always, San. I didn't want to say anything that might throw of the space-time continuum and all that jazz. Plus, I wanted to give you a fair chance to change everything if this wasn't the life you wanted for yourself."

"Well, I hate to break it to you, but I'm actually quite content with the life I have."

"Same here."

"Good," I responded with a broad grin before remembering something from Past Britt had said. "By the way, can we talk real quick about the whole _you'll-be-doing-better-than-great-as-in-doing-me_ thing, Britt? Because honestly, what kind of lame ass line was that?"

Rolling her eyes, she exasperatedly huffed out, "Come on, San. I was a hormonal teenager. What did you expect?"

"You say that as if anything has changed."

"That's because it has," she stated seriously before allowing her signature smirk to pull at her lips. "I'm _clearly_ not a teenager anymore."

"True. You are now a_ woman_ who still can't seem to find a way to pull her head out of the gutter."

"Hey, _you're_ the one who married me!"

"Speaking of which, do you think it's too late for me to go find young you and take back the whole, _'Spoiler alert: we get married!' _thing? Hypothetically speaking, of course."

"Hey! Take that back!"

"Nope," I teased just before she launched herself in my direction. Quickly turning to run, I sprinted as fast as I could out of the room, but I was no match for her long legs as she easily caught up to me and captured me in her arms. Knowing she was about to start tickling me, I plead, "No, please no! I'm sorry! I'm-"

That's when I noticed someone peaking their head out from the doorway leading to the basement. Realizing that I had been distracted by something, she followed my line of sight to find the same small, teenage brunette I was carefully watching.

"Hey, Moms! What's up?"

I felt Brittany immediately go stiff as I stood up a little straighter and asked, "Excuse me?"

"Ah, crap!" the girl groaned out before looking directly at Britt. "Sorry, Mom. Not even a minute in and I already broke your _don't-drop-the-M-word_ rule. My bad." There was a slight pause before she added, "You'll totally forget about this by the time I get back to my own time, right?"

"Doubtful," Brittany deadpanned as she did her best to shake off the initial shock and changed the subject. "So, I'm guessing that makes you our daughter."

"Yep, I'm Sugar from the future! Nice to meet you! Well, sort of. You know what I mean," the girl replied with a beaming smile, and I couldn't help but glance over to Brittany, already knowing she was thinking the same thing.

Boy, were we in a world of trouble.

* * *

_Author's Note:_

_Well, that's the end for this one. This fic has been an absolute blast to write, and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to bring this story to life. __That being said, I'd like to remind everyone that I do plan to write a sequel-of-sorts sometime in the future. It's just hard to say when exactly that will be right now because I have a few other fics I'm currently working on. _

_I guess it's also as good a time as any to mention that I'm also planning to write a sequel-of-sorts for Paperwoman, which I hope to be posting the first chapter of sometime in the near future. It's been way too long since I've written for that verse, so I am really excited to get back to it._

Anyways, I guess that's it for now. Thank you so much for everything, and I hope to see you all again soon!


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